In this premiere episode of 48 Hour Heroes, we sit down with Mark Ruppert, the founder of the 48 Hour Film Project. Mark shares how a wild idea between friends grew into a global creative movement spanning 100+ cities. We talk about the early days, the unexpected chaos, and why fast filmmaking still matters. If you’ve ever hit export at 7:59 PM on a Sunday, this one’s for you.
Introduction to the podcast and its mission
Mark's first 48-hour challenge and how the idea took off
The global expansion of 48HFP
Memorable moments from early competitions
The value of time constraints in creative work
Advice for first-time participants
What’s next for the 48HFP and its community
🔗 Learn more: 48hourfilm.com
48HFPHEROES-EP01-MARKRUPPERT
Kirk Nordenstrom: [00:00:00] Hello and welcome to episode one of 48 Hour Heroes Origin Stories. I'm your host, Kirk Nordenstrom , and to give you a little bit of background on why I started this, I am the co city producer of the Seattle Leg of the 48 hour film project. I started it in 2005, about four years after the 48 began spreading around the world like wildfire.
One of my favorite things about the 48 hour film project is that it challenges filmmakers to put their money where their mouth is and overcome some serious logistical and creative obstacles in order to create a short film over the course of two days. My favorite thing about the 48 hour film project is having screenings of the films that these amazing people make over the course of a weekend.
It's difficult as an [00:01:00] independent filmmaker to get your films into festivals or onto a streaming platform where it'll be seen by anyone. But with the 48 hour film project, we guarantee a screening of your film, whether it's on time or not. At a real theater with a real audience of your peers and your family and friends, and the family and friends of your peers, it's an amazing feeling to watch everyone in that darkened room, just awash.
In the reflection off the screen of these films that were made just a week prior and everyone who, you know completes a 48 hour film project. Film is a hero of mine, as are the other city producers and the small staff at 48 headquarters. These people are my heroes. I was watching Black Widow and I realized that I'd finally had a.
Format a [00:02:00] hook, so to speak, for a podcast about the 48 hour film project. And that was that everyone who competes or runs a city competition or works at headquarters is my hero. And what's, the first thing that every, comic book movie tells in the story of that individual is their origin story.
So that's where he came up with the title, 48 Hour Heroes, origin Stories. In this first episode, I am interviewing the man behind the 48, the co-creator, the executive producer of the 48 hour film project worldwide. His name is Mark Rupert. I've known him for 17 years now. I was in my early thirties. And he is a hero of mine.
He's created this amazing worldwide event that engages tens of thousands of filmmakers every [00:03:00] year and every spring. We have Filma Palooza, which is our international awards event to crown the best 48 hour film. Of the year and in a normal non pandemic year, we all get together. City producers, headquarters, staff, and filmmakers from around the world.
And watch each other's films, have this amazing time hanging out with people that have a shared experience through the 48 hour film project. I love it so much that in 2020, just weeks, days before the pandemic hit I was in Rotterdam and I got. A 48 hour film project, tattoo logo on my right shoulder with my buddies Chris Cherry, who's one of the co-producers of the Toronto 48 hour film project and the soon to be Dutch City producer Indra Vent hoof.
And yeah, we got tattoos. The film of Palooza is amazing. It's such an [00:04:00] incredible experience, and we're gonna be celebrating the 20th anniversary of Film of Palooza this march in Washington dc, the birthplace of the 48 hour film project and film of Palooza. So that's a little of the backstory, and I'd like to hop right into the interview with Mark Rupert, co-founder.
And the executive producer of the 48 hour film project, enjoy.
Welcome to 48 Hour Heroes Origin Stories, and my guest today as far as the 48 hour film project is concerned, it really doesn't get more Origin Story e than this guy Mark Rupert, creator and executive producer, the 48 hour film project. The madman behind this whole thing. So welcome, [00:05:00] mark.
Mark Ruppert: Hey, Kirk, glad to be here.
So excited to have you talking about these origin stories about the 48.
Kirk Nordenstrom: Yeah, that was the, the origin of this was I was watching Black Widow and wanted to do a 48 podcast for a. And then, I realized that, anyone who does a 48 hour film project, event, is a personal hero of mine because it's, it's no small accomplishment just to finish one.
Whether or not you win, still pulling something off in two days. No small feat. It's film ca, film school and a weekend. And it's
Mark Ruppert: quite an accomplishment. And it also it proves to people what they're capable of. Yeah. They go into it having hopes and dreams of going one way or the other, or sometimes even wondering if they'll come out on the other end with a film.
And it's and it's very, validating for people.
Kirk Nordenstrom: This is my 18th year running Seattle. Wow. And I've watched Careers Launch because of this [00:06:00] event. They had so much fun, people that had no background whatsoever in film.
Sure.
Kirk Nordenstrom: And now they're, working for Amazon, they're working for T-Mobile, they're producing their own, films, and they're too busy to do the 48 now, which is, always a bittersweet pill.
But, it's great to see people go through this and then come out the other side with a career.
Mark Ruppert: Absolutely. It's one of the most gratifying pieces of running the 48. To a let people express their creativity and then to hear back from them either, Hey, we had a fabulous weekend and so much fun and or as you said, advances their career and now they're in the industry.
Kirk Nordenstrom: Yeah it's amazing. And, for me. I did the National Film Challenge in 2004 because I was pestering you and Liz via email pretty persistently. And I was recruited to run Seattle in 2005, [00:07:00] but I. So I've never actually done a 48 hour. I've only done 72 hour ones. It is fun and it's built this a little niche in my life that's, very important, which is, running Seattle and now Montana with Chris.
And, I can't foresee a future where I'm not doing it. I enjoy it that much. And what I wanna focus on today is, one of the pinnacle, the, the ultimate reward for participating is FMA Palooza. So tell us what FMA Palooza is.
Mark Ruppert: All right. FMA Palooza is our four day awards festival takes place every year in March, and it celebrates all of the city winning films from the year before.
So we actually have four days of screenings workshops. Parties. And then it culminates in the award ceremony on Saturday night where we announce who the best 48 hour film of the year is. And [00:08:00] so it's a, it's an exciting four days. And what's really special about it is filmmakers coming from all corners of the.
You're meeting people, you may not speak the same language, but you speak the same creative language of filmmaking. And so that's what's exciting to see. And so many bonds and friendships have been formed at Film of Palooza. It truly is a great experience.
Kirk Nordenstrom: Yeah. I it's my favorite time of the year.
I, I've missed a handful and I've always, regretted not. Those years when I haven't been able to go, but that's been a while luckily. But just the people I've met, I, I always joke, it's if I need a couch to crash on in Ula, Batar, Mongolia, I got one.
I. Because of Filma Palooza,
Mark Ruppert: it's truly amazing. We hold these FAP Palooza is not held in one particular city each year, but rather it moves around. So recently we've been in Paris, in Orlando [00:09:00] and Rotterdam Last year, of course, because of COVID, we were online and then this year we are returning to Washington, DC.
Where the very first film of was held back in 2003, so we're glad to be heading back home for this one. And it's, what we try to do is design events that really encourage interaction among the filmmakers so that. While you may be coming with your whole team or part of your team, the goal is not to have you just stick with those three people, but rather to interact with other filmmakers. And you do that a number of ways. Number one, you're watching all these amazing films and so you're seeing what other people have done in 48 hours. You can relate to their experience. You're learning new techniques that you may have never learned. And then it's really these networking events.
This year we're gonna be doing a scavenger hunt bus tour of the national Mall downtown [00:10:00] dc and so that will be forcing people to to work together. So it's it's it's a great event.
Kirk Nordenstrom: Yeah. It's, just the number of. Friends I've made, and people, I consider family now, it's all because of film and Palooza.
You're absolutely right. You go there to, be, hopefully awarded, but much the 48 itself, even though it is a quote unquote competition, it's not that competitive. Everyone's there to celebrate everyone else, and you just, you walk away with lifelong friends afterward, as, in Rotterdam, weeks, days before the pandemic hit the world.
Mark Ruppert: Yep.
Kirk Nordenstrom: I got a tattoo with Indra and Chris Cherry. I'm marked for life because of this thing, and Indra's like the little sister, I never had. Now.
Mark Ruppert: That's great. That much fun. Yeah. I just wanted to comment on, when you say it's not it doesn't feel like a competition, and that's in part by design.
First on the local level the true competition is within [00:11:00] yourself and with your team. Can you make it. That is what the competition is. Can you create something in 48 hours? And then of course we, once you do, we show that on the big screen in your local theater. And so that's the great payoff to, to have it seen in front of an audience and you get that immediate feedback.
Did what you were trying to communicate. Did it work as the audience laughing at the right place? Or unfortunately, are they laughing at the wrong place, et cetera, et cetera. Yeah. And then we translate that from the local level to Filma Palooza where again, it's, you've already won. We're celebrating all of the winner.
And then of course we do announce the Grand Champion, as well as our dozen films that go on to our special screening in
Kirk Nordenstrom: Cannes. The possibility to go to Cannes is, it's so slim. When you think in a normal year there's 130 cities and there's anywhere from, 12 to 200 plus teams in a [00:12:00] city, the odds of making it to the top 12, are pretty slim.
When I'm talking to filmmakers and, recruiting for Seattle, that's a selling point. And it's, it's unbelievable. Just that, it's like winning the lottery to a certain extent. The odds are so against you, but people are like, wait. My film could go and actually screen at can sign me up.
It's crazy.
Mark Ruppert: Sure. It certainly is a very exciting part of the 48 and we've had this partnership with the festivals for about 15 years now. I. And we screen as part of the short film corner. But the difference for our partnership is that we actually get a screening. We're in a screening theater and and filmmakers get to attend and see their films and then experience the entire.
Festival. We've had some of our film, most of our filmmakers have gotten into red carpet events. Some of them have had really exciting moments of [00:13:00] seeing an impromptu U2 concert on the steps of the palace and all kinds of fun things. It, what amazes me about the Canne Film Festival is just.
Everybody in the industry is there for this one week event, and it's the first time you go. It's just mind blowing all these people there. And you in one sense, you don't know which way to turn. There's so much going on. It's so much to learn and see and do. So it's, it is a ton of fun.
Kirk Nordenstrom: But yeah, getting back to Film Palooza, it's.
I, I always try to describe it as, so I didn't go to like my homecoming dances or my, my senior ball or junior prom. But this is Family Homecoming, family reunion the Homecoming Dance, the Prom for me, except it's, movies instead of. Music.
Mark Ruppert: Sure. And it's been in such a wide [00:14:00] variety of cities over the years,
right? We started as partnering with film festivals and so our. We had our own event in DC when we were just starting out in 2003, but the very next year we were at South by Southwest. And so that was great to have our screening at that prestigious festival.
But by the very next year we had outgrown them. We had more than a single screening, so we couldn't be at South by Southwest anymore. So I think at that point we moved on to Cinequest. And Quest is the film festival in San Jose each year, and we were there for three years. And then we did a couple years at the Miami International Film Festival.
And then by that time it was just time for us to be doing our own thing. So ever since then in addition to the cities I mentioned before, we've done it in New Orleans, in Taos, New Mexico. In Seattle, of course. You hosted it one year. We were also in Albuquerque, New Mexico one year and
Kirk Nordenstrom: and then [00:15:00] Atlanta was another big one.
Yeah. Atlanta. Atlanta was fun. Quest, that was my introduction to the 48 to film. That's where we met,
Mark Ruppert: right?
Kirk Nordenstrom: Yeah. Yeah. And it was weird 'cause I grew up in San Jose. And 2005 came down in March and I remember it was like super hot. It was like nineties when we were there and so it was fun to hang out.
I met my sister-in-law to be on that trip and I just remember a handful of Seattle folk came down and you and Liz very graciously provided me with a platinum pass. To the festival. So I got to, I got to go to a lot of things and Sure. Hit my old stomping grounds. And I just remember we, my buddies from Seattle, we were hanging out with the guys from Sheffield and, just partying until, way too late in the Oh yes.
Evening. I remember the last night we were at the. I can't remember [00:16:00] the name of the hotel, but it was, just right downtown, I think his name is Philip Baker Hall. He was the guy who played the library cop on Seinfeld. Okay. He had a movie at the festival. And so he was just regaling, all of us youngsters with stories and words just hammered.
And Liz came up to me and said hey, so what'd you think? I'm like, this is, I'm having the time of my life. This is amazing and just. You drunker than I've been decades at this point. She asked me, she's what'd you think? Can't wait to do it again. Then said how would you like to run the event in Seattle?
I was like, yeah, let's do it. And I woke up the next day with a hangover going, what did I just sign up for? I'm an editor. What am I doing?
Mark Ruppert: Too funny. Too funny.
Kirk Nordenstrom: Yeah. And here we are,
Mark Ruppert: yeah. 17 years later we'll get good people on board as city producers any way we can.
Kirk Nordenstrom: Yeah, and it's [00:17:00] really been one of the highlights of, my, my career in the 48, was hosting Film of Palooza. I'd worked at Film of Palooza, with Nicole and sure.
Helping run stuff, but. Seeing what actually goes on to put the event on is, mind-boggling and awe-inspiring and, you just need to take a nap after contemplating again. Oh yeah.
Mark Ruppert: It is a lot of work and we, we get people like yourself to to help. Work on it with us and we spread that work out to quite a number of city producers and other people.
It is, you're putting on a four day event for 400 people and it takes a lot of planning and logistics and. And that type of thing. Yeah. But but the payoffs as you've mentioned before, are so great that's what makes it worth it to us. And we're always encouraging people who may or may not know about film of Palooza to definitely be there because until you experience it, you don't really [00:18:00] fully grasp it.
And then people who. Come, all they think about is how do they get back?
Kirk Nordenstrom: Exactly. Exactly. I was, the last four days, I was working as a media manager, DIT for a, Seattle produced talk show pilot, and I was working with both the 2018 Seattle winner and the 2021 Seattle winner as well as.
There were three other people that had been on teams in the last two years.
Mark Ruppert: Nice.
Kirk Nordenstrom: So it is really cool to see, all these people and working with them and Sure. Getting to know 'em a little bit outside of the, my role as a city producer in the 48 and, this year's winners, I've watched them grow row from basically 18, 19-year-old hobbyist filmmakers into professionals. And, it was really cool to see them win this year. It was a, long time coming well deserved. [00:19:00] And, they're basically picking up their whole family and coming to Filma Palooza. Great. You got to spend a lot of time talking about, what FMA Palooza is and, I think these guys are gonna make the most of it.
They're very social, outgoing guys and they're super excited. But one
Mark Ruppert: teams. Regardless of what level filmmaker you are, when you come to the 48, you are going to develop skills and expertise over that weekend. For one thing, there are three very common pieces to every single film shoot, whether you're a beginner or whether you're making a Hollywood film, and those are, you gotta stay on a budget.
You've gotta stay on a time schedule. And of course time schedule is one thing. We really teach you how to stay on. Yep. And then you've gotta be a problem solver [00:20:00] because I don't care what level of filmmaker you are, there is some problem that is going to come up on your shoot. I. And you've gotta know how to fix that problem and and keep going.
So those are the three essential things that every 40 Eighter learns by doing the 48.
Kirk Nordenstrom: Yeah. And I was talking with the Harvey brothers who ran team Challenge accepted in Seattle for, they ran as that team for four years and they won twice. But they had a big hit. At film Palooza in Los Angeles with their film I, Sharon which had everyone chanting chicken in your face chicken in your face, which is amazing.
And, I was talking to them a couple of days ago, about the required elements, the, character line prop. And genre pairing. And I really appreciated their approach to the required elements [00:21:00] because, and I try to make this a persistent message every year, is that I.
They're not limitations they're tools. To spur your creativity, you know that you need these things and you can start, with those, so you know the time that's. That's a limiting factor. That's, the limiting factor and they totally embrace, use the required elements rather than shoehorn 'em in.
Mark Ruppert: Yeah. The story I always like to tell is, you know about the required elements and limitations, spurring creativity is, one of my all time favorite movies is Monty Python and the Quest for the Holy Grail. I adore that movie. And they had such a small budget on that, it was tiny.
Kirk Nordenstrom: In the original script, they had knights riding on horses, then they did the budget and they realized that horses. [00:22:00] Are expensive in movies, just all the expenses that pop up and their Foley guy from the BB, C from the Flying Circus. Said why don't we do this? And he clacked some coconuts together.
And they figured that, a night riding, mimicking, riding with a squire alongside clacking coconuts is way funnier.
Mark Ruppert: Oh yeah.
Kirk Nordenstrom: And knights riding horses and, one of the greatest sight gags in, the history of cinematic comedy came about. Sure. No money.
Mark Ruppert: Exactly.
Kirk Nordenstrom: It's inspiring to see what people do with the requirements. Yeah.
Mark Ruppert: And that's the thing is, as Friday night when people come to the kickoff event, I. The first thing they do is pull a genre out of a hat. So they have no idea what type of film they're making.
And then we assign as you said, the character, the prop in the line. And the character always is a name, a male version and a female version along with a profession. And then what's interesting is. To see how the [00:23:00] teams approach it. Some of them will focus, on the prop. I wanna make sure that prop is not only integrated, but I'm building my story around the prop.
Others focus on the character still others, it's strictly the genre. It's not so much of a shoehorning the other elements in, but rather they're not central to the to the story. So we think that the rules allow for a lot of flexibility.
Kirk Nordenstrom: I. You guys allow at headquarter just allow us to suggest required elements, and that's always one of my favorite parts.
And I spend, I spend a lot of time thinking about it when I'm making the suggestions. So when suggesting props, I quickly learned, don't use food. Because one year we had oranges and I didn't want to eat oranges for months after that one year, I did pineapple. I didn't want pineapple after that for a long time.
The avocado year wasn't [00:24:00] too bad. You've
Mark Ruppert: had a lot of fruits and vegetables in Seattle. You're the one.
If there is a food item one year, then we make sure that we go at least a couple years without having another food item again. Yeah, I just
Kirk Nordenstrom: stopped suggesting food because,
Mark Ruppert: yeah, there you go.
Kirk Nordenstrom: I, I love pineapple and oranges and I was bummed that I just didn't, want to eat it for a while after that.
But for me, the
Mark Ruppert: one thing that I learned is to try to avoid. Props that can be used to kill people, because that seems to be the number one common thing that filmmakers will do, is they'll use the prop as a murder weapon.
Yeah. Yeah.
Mark Ruppert: I remember in DC we had pencil as the prop one year, and gosh, half the people must have died from pencil.
And so I've never given any other city pencil as a prop since. [00:25:00]
Kirk Nordenstrom: Yeah. And I always try to take into consideration, especially in years where period piece is, in the mix of genres to make, something that isn't gonna be, anachronistic.
Mark Ruppert: Yeah.
Kirk Nordenstrom: In it, so like a digital watch and someone gets period piece and it's how are you gonna chew horn that into a Victorian piece That just
Mark Ruppert: Exactly. The worst case ever was in Las Vegas. We had this hilarious film. I don't know if you ever saw Breaking Bread. I. But it was a mockumentary about the last supper and it was absolutely hilarious, including including St.
Matthew, the apostle Matthew doing a vote of all the apostles, will it be catered or potluck? And so they all vote for potluck and the day comes and Matthew calls Peter over. Peter, didn't I put you in charge of the potluck? Yes. Okay. Why am I looking at the table and all I see is bread. And Peter's sometimes it's all [00:26:00] bread, sometimes it's all solid.
What can you do? Anyway, very hilarious. But to finish the story, their required element, their required prop was a can of hairspray and so it totally didn't fit in. They quickly stuck it in, but it, didn't make any sense
Kirk Nordenstrom: when I'm tting for the judges, to make sure they qualify, the prop.
The line of dialogue are always the most problematic. Sure. 'Cause some people do just shoehorn in the prop, just get it on screen somewhere. And so I have a spiel every year where I'm saying, it doesn't have to be a big part of your story, just make it easily visible for me.
And because there was one film in the earlier years of the 48 in Seattle. Where a helmet was the prop. And there was a film I was ready to, to DQ it. 'cause I just, I never [00:27:00] saw, I couldn't find the prop. But at the screening, and I was in the theater and I was, watching the film looking up.
And then sure enough there was like, this wide shot. With the actor in front and there was a bicycle in the back with a helmet hanging off of it
Mark Ruppert: too funny.
Kirk Nordenstrom: And if I had blinked or been in the bathroom I'd have missed it and had to disqualify it. Sure. Really hammer that home and the line of dialogue.
That's always the heartbreaker though, I think that's my number one
Mark Ruppert: source of dqs. Absolutely. People just don't, they either forget a word or they don't get it quite right or that type of thing. And it's tough. It's tough, but, we have the rules for purpose and to allow people who don't get it right.
That's not. To people who do get it right? It's that is part of the two day challenge, no question about it.
Kirk Nordenstrom: Yeah. And it's [00:28:00] just heartbreaking to, I think the most serious discussions I've had with filmmakers over disqualifications has always been about. The line of dialogue and it's heartbreaking I feel for 'em, I understand. And, but yeah, the rules are the rules and it's meant to be egalitarian, everyone's Exactly. Being judged on the same set of rules and yeah. The line of dialogue is just, is heartbreaking. But then, you see it in some really interesting ways. We've had it sung.
We've had it typed out, but I think one of my, one of my favorites was in I charin where they split it across two scenes. They had one guy say, no way, and then cut to another person outside saying never again. And I actually got some texts in the theater. All of a sudden people are like, oh.
That character didn't say it completely. And I said, no words just need to, [00:29:00] appear or be heard in order. That's in order. That's right. That's it. And they did that and it was a very clever use of it. And rightfully they got, best use of dialogue that year because it, it was really a clever way to do it.
Mark Ruppert: Oh yes. We always try to reward the cleverness. One of the things. As you were saying about the the film with the bike helmet in the background, they weren't gonna get very high points for the adherence category for creative use of the element, but they certainly had it there, so they were qualified for awards.
Absolutely.
Kirk Nordenstrom: As much as I enjoy, reviewing all the films before handing 'em off to the judges it is just heartbreaking to, to disqualify a film. Sure. And let someone know. I'd say, eight times out of 10 and what I inform 'em, at least I get to say, Hey, you're eligible for audience favorite, right?
We are gonna screen your film. Yeah. [00:30:00] And eight times out 10, they understand and they're. Good with that. Yes. So you know, they understand.
Mark Ruppert: The other interesting thing is it also depends how soon after the competition weekend you're having this conversation. Yeah. They're still tired from the weekend, they're mad, but if it's a few days later, then they're more understanding.
Kirk Nordenstrom: Exactly. I can't believe I used to do. My screenings two days start my screenings two days after the drop off. And that was my, you did your 48, now I'm gonna do mine. It was my solidarity and the year I had 84 teams that almost killed me. I can imagine. I can imagine.
How many screening
Mark Ruppert: groups is 84 teams?
Kirk Nordenstrom: Six.
Mark Ruppert: Okay. Starting on three nights.
Kirk Nordenstrom: Yeah. Yeah. It was. I was a wreck for about a month after that. It was [00:31:00] after that year. I was like, Nope, I'm gonna do a, I'm gonna go at least a week out now.
Mark Ruppert: There you go.
Kirk Nordenstrom: It's amazing, thinking about how much technology has progressed.
Over the course of this, I remember when I had 24 teams in my first year and I had to ship the box because we city producers, we would, collect all the paperwork and all the media associated with it and, ship it to headquarters for archiving and that. 24 teams with mini DV cassettes, that made for a big box of stuff.
Mark Ruppert: Sure.
Kirk Nordenstrom: And then I, I remember when I had 84, almost everything was on, flash drives, that box of 84 took up about the same space as the 24, and now we got two years of no shipping boxes because we have cinema 48 now, which is amazing
Mark Ruppert: Digital.
Kirk Nordenstrom: Yeah, [00:32:00] it's I always swore no, never gonna, give up the drop off event.
But there's some advantages to this digital drop off that are undeniable and, the safety aspect I. Because I've seen some crazy stuff happen at the drop off.
Mark Ruppert: Oh yes. We've had lots of tales over the years of people racing to get their film in. So that is one of the big advantages of having the drop off online.
We've had people who've gotten. Tickets on the way. We've heard a story of some crazy filmmakers in Greensboro, North Carolina, where they're racing with their computer plugged into the lighter in their in the car, so they're still editing as the person's driving too fast. Luckily, everybody made it safely, but that is one of the big advantages of the online drop off.
Kirk Nordenstrom: Yeah. So Chris and I, we've done, virtual kickoffs, for 20 20 20 and [00:33:00] 2021, which is a drag, I like that. Everyone can just upload their team leader agreement, but getting together with everyone, yeah,
Mark Ruppert: I, that's important.
Kirk Nordenstrom: Yeah. I can see, a future when we.
Get to some semblance of an old normal where doing a an in-person kickoff and a virtual drop off would be how I'd like to do it. 'cause I, I miss. Chatting with everyone. Sure. Going into the event and coming out of it.
Mark Ruppert: Yeah. Hopefully you'll do it this year. We did an in-person one last year in dc We had an outdoor space and we did make it optional, but I think we'll be very close to making in-person required again so that we'll get back to the old way of doing
Kirk Nordenstrom: things.
Yeah. And that's why I'm so excited about the film of Palooza this year, just being. With everyone. 'cause two years is, it's been too long. Rotterdam, [00:34:00] just thinking back to Rotterdam, and that's actually something we should talk about. 'cause we've had two international film of Paloozas now.
That's right. Paris and Rotterdam. And, those are some of the more epic ones.
Mark Ruppert: Certainly they pulled out all the stops in, in, when we were in those two European cities. What's nice about Europe is that the government gives a lot of. Support to the arts. We were able to get the hotel Deville of Paris as our final award ceremony venue.
Amazing. And that's just an unbelievable place. And then in Rotterdam the city. Council hosted our opening event, our welcome reception. And so that was great to be in the city hall and have one of the town counselors address all of the filmmakers. And so there's some nice touches that happen in Europe that are, is really great.
We've been in contact with conversations with city producers in South Africa, as well as in Columbia. Oh, wow. As [00:35:00] possibly hosting film of flus there sometime in the future. But we're definitely going to let COVID completely run its course before we pick a far-flung location.
Kirk Nordenstrom: Yeah. Some of the cities I personally would love to see would be Prague.
His pros and David would do a great job 'cause he's a go-getter. Yeah. South Africa would be great. I've always wanted to go there. Never been to South America. I've been pressing Steve and Chris in Toronto. Hey, you guys should think about it. 'cause
Mark Ruppert: they should.
Toronto's China's a great festival town, huh?
Kirk Nordenstrom: Yeah. And it's the industry. Co industry capital for all of Canada. Chris and I, we wanna do it again in Seattle someday. So that sounds good. I think it'll be an even better event with, Chris on board now. 'cause she does events.
That's her thing.
Mark Ruppert: Yeah.
Kirk Nordenstrom: And she's bringing her on as my partner in. This is like the smartest decision I ever made.
Mark Ruppert: Nice.
Kirk Nordenstrom: In the 48.
Mark Ruppert: Sure.
Kirk Nordenstrom: Let's [00:36:00] wrap this up. What's your pitch to filmmakers who are on the fence about coming to Film Palooza? COVID aside, that's, that's a valid fear, but if someone's sure, feels confident about traveling, but is on the fence about going what's the pitch?
Mark Ruppert: Film Palooza is unlike any other film festival they can go to. For one thing is every single filmmaker at Film Palooza has been through exactly the same thing that you have been through. The 48 hours of crea of frantic creativity, and that is a special bond that you all now share. And it's only by being in person and having conversations and connecting that you realize that, and then you can build upon that, whether it's simply admiring each other's work and celebrating.
All the films or whether it goes beyond that. We've certainly had collaborations built by meeting in at Film Palooza, people who've gone on to do great things together, who never [00:37:00] would've done that if they hadn't come to Film Palooza. So that, that's the main thing. And then the side thing is certainly the fun that you'll have over the course of those those four days.
Kirk Nordenstrom: The networking opportunities and just expanding your social and professional network through this. When I was talking to Indra, who I just happened to, my wife Kasha, and I happened to be sitting behind her at the opening night screening in Paris.
Mark Ruppert: Okay.
Kirk Nordenstrom: And we were friends after that, and I told her, it's okay, I, I want to do a documentary on the history of the 48. And she's sign me up. 'cause she'll jump into anything. But I said, the capper is, the longstanding joke. 'cause we're on six of seven continents. I'm like, I wanna produce. The seven continent I want to get, I want to get an Antarctic, even if it's one
Mark Ruppert: team.
We've been working on that from a different angle. We've been trying to teach penguins how to shoot movies, and [00:38:00] so as soon as that's accomplished, you can go down there and run it,
Kirk Nordenstrom: but there's gotta be something like at. There's gotta be a handful of, people with iPhones who could do it.
Mark Ruppert: I said,
Kirk Nordenstrom: wanna send the HQ staff down there with, parkas and flags and put a 48 flag on Antarctica and finally say we all seven continents. That's right.
Mark Ruppert: That's right. Too fun. Too fun.
Kirk Nordenstrom: Mark, thank you so much and I'm looking forward to seeing you in about six weeks. I know.
It's gonna be great. If anyone's on the fence and feels. Comfortable traveling. Please, think about coming to Film of Palooza. It's, once you go, you'll always wanna go back. It's a unique experience and a very rewarding one.
Mark Ruppert: Exactly. Come join all of your fellow filmmakers for four days of great fun
Kirk Nordenstrom: and the karaoke night.
And the karaoke just always legendary.
Mark Ruppert: All right,
Kirk Nordenstrom: thank you again, mark and hope to talk to you again about more 48 stuff. [00:39:00] Perfect. Look forward to it and see you at FOMO Palooza.