On Jan. 18, the final screenings for the second annual 48-hour Film Festival were shown at the Student Activity Center. This event was created last year by Theatre Department professor Matt Koenig and two students he approached about the idea, Catie Popelka and a now alum Elise Hill. This year, Popelka, along with Koenig and fellow students Connor Defevers and Jonathan McPherson, ran the show. 

As the Film Studies Program had been cut the year before, this festival aimed to keep the passion for film alive. From Friday, Jan. 16 through Sunday, Jan. 18, the groups participating in the festival prepared much and slept little in order to write, act, direct, shoot and edit a short film to be screened in just 48 hours.  

As students signed up for the event, they put which positions they would prefer, including writer, director, actor, etc. Students were assigned into groups, were given a genre and a random fun prop, a line of dialogue that had to be included in each of the films, and then were released to make their films. This year’s dialogue line was “Release ‘em!” 

This year, the Film Festival had a new opportunity to host workshops for the contestants. Alum Rachel Gold taught stage combat and intimacy coordination, alum Christian Peralta taught editing, and faculty member Paul Peters taught a basic crash course on filmmaking for students less familiar.  

This year the Best Film went to “Stuffed Silence,” and the team was composed of Riley Gregory (director), Maya Elmouhawesse (writer), Emmett Kosich (editor), and actors Gioianna DiGiorgio, Philip Morgan, and Royce Withrow. They were assigned the genre of Film Noir and a prop of a Fozzie Bear stuffed animal.  

Although some members of the group talked about how the event can be stressful because of the production process, Elmouhawesse ultimately said that the growth of close relationships is worth the effort of the sleepless nights.  

At the screening, in addition to “Best film,” the judges handed out awards such as “Best use of prop”, “Best use of dialogue.” The judges were Eric Bonilla, Paul Peters, David Alford, and Stephanie Orr. The audience also got to vote on their favorite film as well, separate from the judges’ vote. At intermission, there was a costume contest that was voted on by the crowd. 

The 48-hour Film Festival will look to make its return next year in January of 2027.