2019 48hr Film Challenge

Congratulations to ALL 29 teams for making amazing films and thank you to everyone that came out tonight to cheer them on!

Student Best use of Line of Dialogue
Honorable Mention – Breadwinner directed by Say Wah
Runner-up – Paranoid directed by Calin Zweerink
Winner – The Dissksksk directed by Anthony Waudah, Jay Kunrath

Student Best use of Prop
Honorable Mention – Breadwinner directed by Say Wah
Runner-up – The Dissksksk directed by Anthony Waudah, Jay Kunrath
Winner – A Boom in the Modeling Industry directed by Liam Wiig

Student Best Cinematography
Honorable Mention – Vanished directed by Brenna Jean-Paul
Runner-up – Paranoid directed by Calin Zweerink
Winner – Breadwinner directed by Say Wah

Best Student Film
Honorable Mention – Vanished directed by Brenna Jean-Paul
Runner-up – Paranoid directed by Calin Zweerink
Winner – Breadwinner directed by Say Wah

Best use of Line of Dialogue
Honorable Mention – Feel Pretty directed by Dale Brooks, Matt Brooks
Honorable Mention – Meet the Bakers directed by Joey Sears
Runner-up – Door to Door directed by Asa Neville
Winner – Upside Clown directed by Darren Clausen

Best use of Prop
Honorable Mention – Upside Clown directed by Darren Clausen
Runner-up – Memoirs of a Backpack directed by Ben Semisch
Winner – Wing Man directed by Mike Ehrhart

Best Cinematography
Honorable Mention – Feel Pretty directed by Dale Brooks, Matt Brooks
Runner-up – Beauty Bandits directed by Alexander Hamilton
Winner – Counterpart directed by Shawn Gourley, Lauren Abell

Best Film
Honorable Mention – Beauty Bandits directed by Alexander Hamilton
Runner-up – Wing Man directed by Mike Ehrhart
Winner – Upside Clown directed by Darren Clausen


Screening order for the 48hr Film Challenge:

Paranoid directed by Calin Zweerink – 4:42 – thriller
A Boom in the Modeling Industry directed by Liam Wiig – 3:03 – crime
Black Box directed by Cameron Gayer, Brody Fetters – 3:56 – drama
The Dissksksk directed by Anthony Waudah, Jay Kunrath – 4:29 – comedy
Vanished directed by Brenna Jean-Paul – 2:18 – crime
Breadwinner directed by Say Wah – 3:30 – crime
——
First Day directed by Tom Sarni – 4:46 – comedy
Keep the Change directed by Drew Roberts, Ryan Hollst – 4:54 – thriller
Turtle Man directed by Nathan Blizzard, Christian Cariglio – 5:00 – comedy
Extra Baggage directed by Dora Chau – 5:00 – comedy
Slather directed by Shomari Huggins – 4:48 – thriller
Door to Door directed by Asa Neville – 3:39 – comedy
35 Ounces 15 Grams directed by Jack O’Connell – 2:28 – thriller
#SPPFB directed by Roland Massow – 4:59 – comedy
First Time directed by Franciso Salazar – 4:59 – comedy
Hi. I’m Kassi. directed by Aaron Nix – 5:00 – crime
Collector directed by John Gutowski – 3:56 – thriller
The Eviction Notice directed by Cael Hospodka, Sammi Mazzau, Matias Mayor – 2:42 – thriller
Counterpart directed by Shawn Gourley, Lauren Abell – 4:19 – drama
Memoirs of a Backpack directed by Ben Semisch – 3:53 – drama
Upside Clown directed by Darren Clausen – 4:55 – comedy
Meet the Bakers directed by Joey Sears – 4:03 – drama
Cheap Shots directed by Kevin Mohr – 4:54 – crime
Perspective directed by Lend Slay Frison III – 3:17 – drama
Keep Quiet directed by Connor Paintin, Jesse White – 4:45 – crime
Emma directed by Wade Lux – 4:17 – crime
Feel Pretty directed by Dale Brooks, Matt Brooks – 3:44 – drama
Beauty Bandits directed by Alexander Hamilton – 4:53 – crime
Wing Man directed by Mike Ehrhart – 5:00 – comedy

Screening will be held at
Aksarben Cinema
2110 South 67th Street
Thursday, October 17th
starting at 6:30pm in theatre #4
Followed by a filmmaker Q&A and Awards


Required prop: Backpack
Required line of dialogue: “Small price to pay for beauty
Genres: Comedy, Drama, Thriller, Crime

Good luck everyone!


Ladies and Gentlemen, start your cameras! The Omaha Film Festival is hosting a 48 Hour Film Challenge to spark creativity and collaboration among local creatives. Participants will be given 48 hours to write, shoot, edit, and deliver a film under 5 minutes in length.

The 48 Hour Challenge will commence on Friday, October 4th at 6:00pm at the Image Arts Building on 2626 Harney Street. Genres will be drawn at 7:00pm!

Films will be due back to festival staff at the same address on Sunday, October 6th by 7:00pm. Final delivery will be an H.264 file and we’ll be ready with computers to capture the files if you bring them in on a flash drive or a disc. Festival staff will be available between 4:00pm and 7:00pm to receive the films. A password protected (downloadable) Vimeo file is also acceptable if emailed and verified before the 7:00pm deadline.

All films will be screened on Thursday, October 17th at the Aksarben Cinema starting at 6:30pm followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers and we’ll award all of the prizes!

Filmmaker registration form.

Pre-registration is $25 per team.
High School student pre-registration is $20 per team (student ID required at check-in).
Registration the day of the Challenge launch (October 4) is $30 per team.

Here’s how it works:


Start putting your team together now! Actors, writers, filmmakers … get ready! Send at least one representative to the event on Friday, October 4th where the rules will be announced and your film packets will be distributed. Within that packet of info you will be given three required challenges:

1. You will be given a genre.
2. You will be given a line of dialog that must be in the film.
3. You will be given a prop requirement that must be used in the film.

There’s no age limit on the filmmakers!
Don’t have a team? Come out to the launch and find a group to join!

Prizes will be awarded to winning filmmakers in both the student and open categories!

Prizes awarded for:

  • Best Film
  • 1st Runner Up
  • 2nd Runner Up
  • Best Cinematography
  • Most Creative Use of Required Prop
  • Most Creative Use of Required Line of Dialog

Prize winners will be announced at the screening.

THE RULES

– A member of your team must be present at the Challenge Launch to receive your challenge packet.
– Entry Fees can be paid by check to “Omaha Film Festival” or by cash or credit card at the time of the launch.
– Each entry must be a separate submission – you must include registration form and payment for each submission.
– Challenge Launch will commence at 6:00pm on Friday, October 4, 2019 at the Image Arts Building – 2626 Harney Street – Omaha NE 68131. Genres will be drawn at 7:00pm.
– You must complete all of the mandatory challenges (genre, line of dialog, prop).
– All submissions must be delivered via drive or data disc along with the FILM INFORMATION FORM. A password protected (downloadable) Vimeo link is also acceptable.
– Acceptable format for submission is H.264 digital file.
– Submissions must be received by 7:00pm on Sunday, October 6, 2019 – Festival staff will be available at the office between 4:00pm and 7:00pm on Sunday to receive submissions.
– All films that are not in English must have English language subtitles.
– Only submissions with completed REGISTRATION FORM, FILM INFORMATION FORM, and paid entry fees will be accepted.
– Films must be no longer than 5 minutes in length (including credits).
– To be eligible, the film cannot have a public screening locally prior to the Film Challenge Screening date. We ask that your film not be viewable in its entirety online on sites like YouTube, Vimeo, or Facebook before the Film Challenge Screening. Trailers or clips from the film are acceptable.
– Releases for locations, music, and talent must be obtained by the submitting filmmaker. The Omaha Film Festival is not liable for copyright infringement or unauthorized use.
– The Omaha Film Festival does not assume any liability for damage to films, videos, or publicity materials.

Challenge Launch and Delivery Address: 2626 Harney Street – Omaha, NE 68131

OFF’19 Screenplay Finalists

To celebrate the craft of screenwriting, the Omaha Film Festival is thrilled to present the 2019 Writer’s Theatre.

The Writer’s Theatre will take place at the College of Saint Mary
on Saturday, March 9 from 2:00pm – 4:00pm

College of Saint Mary, Gross Auditorium – 7000 Mercy Road

See schedule for more details!

DON’T GO THERE by Jeffrey R Field (Feature Screenplay)
Directed by Christina Rohling

A housebound senior struggles to stay alive when a mass murderer takes refuge in her home on the coldest night in eighty years.

EATS YOU ALIVE by Zack Eagles (Feature Screenplay)
Directed by Laura Kendall

A man in the post-apocalypse comes face to face with the beings who destroyed the world.

MISS ME WHEN I’M GONE by Matthew Gomez (Feature Screenplay)
Directed by Aaron Sailors

The mother and brother of a man who has committed suicide spend the next seven days searching for a location to host his Celebration of Life ceremony in Omaha, Nebraska.

HOOSIER DADDY by Jeffrey R Field (Feature Screenplay)
Directed by David M. Weiss

After accidentally destroying his future father-in-law’s prized autographed basketball, a hapless college student and his slacker buddy have one week to re-gather the signatures of the 1976 Indiana University basketball team.

MYOSOTIS LOVE by Charlie LaTourette (Short Screenplay)
Directed by Christina Rohling

A woman plants flowers in the garden and challenges her husband to remember how they met.

HOME by Katie Micay (Short Screenplay)
Directed by Jason Levering

Megan, who suffers from agoraphobia, is alone for her first holidays since her wife moved out. Sydney, a young widower, has been living in her car outside Megan’s house since she lost her apartment. When Sydney knocks on Megan’s door to sell her makeup, the two only see each other’s differences. But after a scary incident forces Megan out of her house to come to Sydney’s aid, they realize that they are two lonely souls with more in common than they first thought.

PANCAKE SKANK by Savannah Rodgers (Short Screenplay)
Directed by Laura Kendall

Pancake Skank is a surrealist, satirical comedy about our titular anti-heroine and her unlikely partner-in-crime, Lover Boi, as they wreak havoc on a small town and its breakfast joints.

HEAD ON by Christine Burright McGuigan (Short Screenplay)
Directed by Aaron Sailor

Two people meet under unusual circumstances.

THE SYNDICATE by Peter Jang (Teleplay)
Directed by David M. Weiss

After a child sees his parents brutally murdered, his dad’s police partner, connected to a covert organization known as The Syndicate, turns him into a one-man killing machine, primed to take out those who took his parents’ lives.

MIDWEST MOM GROUP
by Darcy Lueking Bahensky (Teleplay)
Directed by Jason Levering

A fed-up LA mom relocates her family to Nebraska, but she quickly learns that parenting in a flyover state has its own rules.

See BLOG for past Screenplay Finalists.

 

OFF’19 Festival Parties

OFF’19 dates are March 5-10 and will feature amazing independent feature films, documentaries, short films, animated films, and screenplays from around the world. Each night after the film screenings will be VIP parties for All Access badge holders.

March 5th – Tuesday – Opening Night
Aksarben Cinema Lounge
2110 South 67th Street
Drink specials and food from Le Voltaire
Free entry for All Access pass holders!
$10 entry without a pass.
Immediately following our opening night film!

March 6th – Wednesday
LIV Lounge
2285 South 67th Street
Free drinks for All Access pass holders provided by Tito’s, Brickway, and Soaring Wings
Free entry for All Access pass holders!
$10 entry without a pass.
10:00pm – midnight

March 7th – Thursday
Dante
16901 Wright Plaza #173
Food provided by Dante
Drink specials / Cash bar
Free entry for All Access pass holders!
$10 entry without a pass.
10:00pm – midnight

March 8th – Friday
Ring the Bell Party
Julio’s
2820 South 123rd Ct
Free taco bar provided by Julio’s
Drink Specials / Cash bar
Free entry for All Access pass holders!
$10 entry without a pass.
10:00pm – midnight

March 9th – Saturday
Beacon Hills
6750 Mercy Road
Free food and drinks provided by Beacon Hills
Free entry for All Access pass holders!
$10 entry without a pass.
10:00pm – midnight

March 10th – Sunday
Closing Night Party
Herbe Sainte
1934 South 67th Street
Heavy hors d’oeuvres
Free drinks for All Access pass holders provided by Tito’s, Brickway, and Soaring Wings
Free entry for All Access pass holders!
$10 entry without a pass.
7:30pm – 11:00pm

 

Results from the 2019 OFF

Screenplays:

Best Nebraska Screenplay – “Miss Me When I’m Gone” written by Matthew Gomez
Best Short Screenplay – “Home” written by Katie Micay
Best Teleplay – “Midwest Mom Group” written by Darcy Lueking Bahensky
Best Feature Screenplay – “Hoosier Daddy” written by Jeffrey R. Field

Films:

Jury Prizes:

Best Animated Short Film – “Stream(s)” by Lance Heybrock
Animated Short Film Honorable Mention – “Sister” by Siqi Song
Best Nebraska Short Film – “Sugar” by Shawn Gourley, Lauren Abell
Nebraska Short Film Honorable Mention – “Simply Play Cricket” by Sai Chillara
Best Short Film – “Porch Light” by Julia Bergeron
Short Film Honorable Mention – “Three Pages” by Roger Gariépy
Best Documentary – “Always in Season” by Jacqueline Olive
Documentary Honorable Mention – “Out of Omaha” by Clay Tweel
Best Feature Film – “Silver Lake” by Sean McGinly
Feature Film Honorable Mention – “Collisions” by Richard Levien

Audience Choice Awards:

Audience Choice Short Film – “The Little Princess” by Jason Maza
Audience Choice Documentary – “Out of Omaha” by Clay Tweel
Audience Choice Feature Film – “Ask for Jane” by Rachel Carey

2018 48hr Film Challenge

Congratulations to ALL of the participating filmmakers for this year’s 48hr Film Challenge. We screened 28 fabulous films and the Q&A session afterward was a blast!

Here’s the list of prize winners for the evening:

For the Student category:
Most Creative Use of Required Line of Dialog
Deserving directed by Rachael Britt
Most Creative Use of Required Prop
Pickles directed by Jaimee Jindra
Best Cinematography
The Remarkable Fella directed by Joey, Connor, Jesse, Jon Paul
2nd Runner Up
The Clone directed by Neo
1st Runner Up
Deserving directed by Rachael Britt Best Film
Best Film
The Remarkable Fella directed by Joey, Connor, Jesse, Jon Paul

In the open category:
Most Creative Use of Required Line of Dialog
As You Wish directed by Marjorie Sturgeon
Most Creative Use of Required Prop
Algorithm directed by Tony Bonacci
Best Cinematography
Vanman & Truckboy: the Great Return directed by Sam Senser
2nd Runner Up
Word of Mouth directed by Aaron Nix & Emma Brand
1st Runner Up
The Projectionist directed by Lauren Abell
Best Film
Craglab directed by Levi Peters


Thanks to all of the filmmakers and their cast and crews and thanks to everyone that came out and enjoyed a wonderful night of film and supporting our local creatives! #OFF48 #AksarbenCinemaRules

Here’s the screening order for the films. The first nine films are student shorts.

Pickles directed by Jaimee Jindra – 4:29 – crime
The Clone directed by Neo – 5:00 – sci-fi
Just Another Saturday directed by Calin Zweerink – 4:59 – drama
Fallen Souls directed by Nathan Blizzard & Kara Schmoeller – 4:56 – sci-fi
The Sombrero from Outer Space! directed by Trenton Hancock – 5:31 – sci-fi
Sarah directed by Gabriel Kuncl – 5:18 – comedy
My Buddy Gale directed by Hayley Johnson – 4:47 – comedy
Deserving directed by Rachael Britt – 4:59 – drama
The Remarkable Fella directed by Joey, Connor, Jesse, Jon Paul – 5:00 – drama
– –
685 Gretna Ave. directed by Parker Jahn – 4:40 – thriller
Rolodex directed by Kevin Mohr – 4:41 – drama
After They Die directed by AE Stueve – 3:53 – drama
Word of Mouth directed by Aaron Nix & Emma Brand – 4:58 – crime
Introspection directed by Kelly Schultze – 3:06 – drama
Give Me Them Toes directed by Asa Neville – 3:30 – drama
Hard Drive directed by Jesse Snider & Danny Machado – 4:41 – sci-fi
The Projectionist directed by Lauren Abell – 4:56 – thriller
Life is what you Make it directed by Brittany Brown – 5:00 – crime
Rolodex Report directed by Kreg Gilson – 3:05 – sci-fi
The Close Call directed by Venus “Vado” Teguia-Kouam – 4:57 – comedy
Invitation directed by Thomas Gjere – 4:55 – drama
Vanman & Truckboy: the Great Return directed by Sam Senser – 4:30 – drama
NK-536 directed by John Gutowski & Bob Maass – 4:23 – sci-fi
Loose Ends directed by Christie Williams – 4:25 – crime
Algorithm directed by Tony Bonacci – 3:22 – sci-fi
Social Justice Warrior directed by Mason Shumaker – 4:08 – sci-fi
As You Wish directed by Marjorie Sturgeon – 4:53 – comedy
Craglab directed by Levi Peters – 4:25 – sci-fi

Screening will be held at
Aksarben Cinema
2110 South 67th Street
starting at 6:30pm in theatre #4
Followed by a filmmaker Q&A and Awards

Line of Dialog: “It doesn’t usually do that”
Prop: Rolodex
Genres: Comedy, Drama, Thriller, Crime, Sci-fi
Film Challenge Entry form

Good luck everyone! Share your behind the scenes pics and stories on social media and hashtag with #OFF48


Ladies and Gentlemen, start your cameras! The Omaha Film Festival is hosting a 48 Hour Film Challenge to spark creativity and collaboration among local creatives. Participants will be given 48 hours to write, shoot, edit, and deliver a film under 5 minutes in length.

The 48 Hour Challenge will commence on Friday, September 14th at 6:00pm at the Image Arts Building on 2626 Harney Street. Genres will be drawn at 7:00pm!

Films will be due back to festival staff at the same address on Sunday, September 16th by 7:00pm. Final delivery will be an H.264 file and we’ll be ready with computers to capture the files if you bring them in on a flash drive or a disc. Festival staff will be available between 4:00pm and 7:00pm to receive the films. A password protected (downloadable) Vimeo file is also acceptable if emailed and verified before the 7:00pm deadline.

All films will be screened on Wednesday, September 26th at the Aksarben Cinema starting at 6:30pm followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers and we’ll award all of the prizes!

Filmmaker registration form.

Pre-registration is $25 per team.
High School student pre-registration is $20 per team (student ID required at check-in).
Registration the day of the Challenge launch (September 14) is $30 per team.

Here’s how it works:
Start putting your team together now! Actors, writers, filmmakers … get ready! Send at least one representative to the event on Friday, September 14th where the rules will be announced and your film packets will be distributed. Within that packet of info you will be given three required challenges:

1. You will be given a genre.
2. You will be given a line of dialog that must be in the film.
3. You will be given a prop requirement that must be used in the film.

There’s no age limit on the filmmakers!
Don’t have a team? Come out to the launch and find a group to join!

Prizes will be awarded to winning filmmakers in both the student and open categories!

Prizes awarded for:
Best Film
1st Runner Up
2nd Runner Up
Best Cinematography
Most Creative Use of Required Prop
Most Creative Use of Required Line of Dialog

Prize winners will be announced at the screening.

THE RULES
– A member of your team must be present at the Challenge Launch to receive your challenge packet.
– Entry Fees can be paid by check to “Omaha Film Festival” or by cash or credit card at the time of the launch.
– Each entry must be a separate submission – you must include registration form and payment for each submission.
– Challenge Launch will commence at 6:00pm on Friday, September 14, 2018 at the Image Arts Building – 2626 Harney Street – Omaha NE 68131. Genres will be drawn at 7:00pm.
– You must complete all of the mandatory challenges (genre, line of dialog, prop).
– All submissions must be delivered via drive or data disc along with the FILM INFORMATION FORM. A password protected (downloadable) Vimeo link is also acceptable.
– Acceptable format for submission is H.264 digital file.
– Submissions must be received by 7:00pm on Sunday, September 16, 2018 – Festival staff will be available at the office between 4:00pm and 7:00pm on Sunday to receive submissions.
– All films that are not in English must have English language subtitles.
– Only submissions with completed REGISTRATION FORM, FILM INFORMATION FORM, and paid entry fees will be accepted.
– Films must be no longer than 5 minutes in length (including credits).
– To be eligible, the film cannot have a public screening locally prior to the Film Challenge Screening date. We ask that your film not be viewable in its entirety online on sites like YouTube, Vimeo, or Facebook before the Film Challenge Screening. Trailers or clips from the film are acceptable.
– Releases for locations, music, and talent must be obtained by the submitting filmmaker. The Omaha Film Festival is not liable for copyright infringement or unauthorized use.
– The Omaha Film Festival does not assume any liability for damage to films, videos, or publicity materials.

Challenge Launch and Delivery Address: 2626 Harney Street – Omaha, NE 68131

South African Paper Herald Live | SA hit selected for 12 overseas film festivals

Always fun to see the Omaha Film Festival mentioned in oversees papers. We loved “Meerkat Moonship” and are proud to see its growing success domestically and abroad!

The film has been officially selected by 12 prestigious international film festivals, among them the Austin Film Festival, Oxford Film Festival, Sedona Film Festival in Arizona, The Kids First Film Festival (world’s biggest) in the US, the Omaha Film Festival in Nebraska, Calcutta International Cult Film Festival and GUKIFF International Kids Film Festival in Seoul, Korea.

Meerkat Maantuig opens at Baywest today.

The Reader | Prodigal filmmaker comes home again to screen new picture at Omaha Film Fest

Great write-up about OFF’18 and filmmaker Dan Mirvish’s “Bernard and Huey” in The Reader. Thanks Leo!

The 13th Omaha Film Festival projects March 6-11 at Village Pointe Cinema with its eclectic mix of indie fare from around the world. But a film by Omaha native Dan Mirvish brings things home for area cineastes.

The fest’s opening and closing night films are prestige feature-length studio releases with big name stars: Borg McEnroe at 6 p.m. on March 6 and Beirut at 5:30 p.m. on March 11. The March 10 OFF Conference includes guest panels on Documentary Filmmaking, Writing for Pixar and Filmmaking in Nebraska. The March 11 Writers Theatre showcases live readings of scripts.

Omaha World Herald | Warren Buffett drops by Omaha Film Festival for screening of ‘One Vote’ documentary

Great story in the Omaha World Herald about Warren Buffett attending OFF’18!

Saturday night at the Omaha Film Festival, one of the films’ stars, a Mr. Warren Buffett, took the mic and talked about voting, democracy and the hope he has for the country.

“The luckiest person the world has ever seen born,” Buffett said, “was born in America today.”

Buffett attended the screening of the documentary “One Vote,” one of the many films playing at this year’s Omaha Film Festival at Village Pointe Cinema.

Omaha Magazine | That’s a Wrap

Nice wrap-up article from Omaha Magazine about OFF’18!

After five days packed with 89 short films, 18 features, and seven documentaries, the 2018 Omaha Film Festival concluded on Sunday, March 11.

Audiences at the festival had a chance to watch local films along with work from international directors and Hollywood celebrities. Among the attractions was a special screening of Beirut (starring Rosamund Pike and Jon Hamm), which offered Omahans the opportunity to see the film before its April 11 nationwide release.

Results from the 2018 OFF

Screenplays:

Best Nebraska Screenplay – Mad Rush written by Christine Burright
Best Short Screenplay – Mad Rush written by Christine Burright
Best Teleplay – Stranger Things: f7/f2 written by Ana Ziegler Loes
Best Feature Screenplay – The Road to Matanzas written by Christopher Helton

Films:

Jury Prizes:

Best Animated Short Film – “Weeds” by Kevin Hudson
Animated Short Film Honorable Mention – “Catherine” by Britt Raes
Best Nebraska Short Film – “Dakota” by Mike Montgomery
Best Nebraska Short Film Honorable Mention – “Now or Forever” by Darcy Lueking Bahensky
Best Short Film – “Rabbit Punch” by Keith Farrell
Short Film Honorable Mention – “Zion” by Floyd Russ
Best Documentary – “Dark Money” by Kimberly Reed
Documentary Honorable Mention – “One Vote” by Christine Woodhouse
Best Feature Film – “The Independents” by Greg Naughton
Feature Film Honorable Mention – “My Name is Myeisha” by Gus Krieger

Audience Choice Awards:

Audience Choice Short Film – “Two Strangers Who Meet Five Times” by Marcus Markou
Audience Choice Documentary – “Pick of the Litter” by Dana Nachman and Don Hardy
Audience Choice Feature Film – “Adventures in Public School” by Kyle Rideout