UPDATE: RESULTS ANNOUNCED JUNE 17TH
The winners of AGBO’s No Sleep ‘til Film Fest will now be announced on Friday, June 17th.
We know, we want to know too. The team was impressed by the films submitted this year from all over the world. Thank you to all who participated and you will hear from us shortly with the results!
THANK YOU FOR PARTICIPATING!
The festival has officially closed for submissions. Huge thank you to everyone who participated, we had a blast watching everyone's behind the scenes process. We are so grateful to everyone who gave up sleep this weekend, and now the fun part of judging for us begins!!!
We are going through any inbound messages from the weekend so expect a response within the next day. If you have a question or concern about your film, please reach out to contact@agbo.com
FAQ'S
My film was still uploading at 5pm PT, will I be disqualified if I did not get my film in on time? No. If you spent the whole weekend making a short for the festival and the time stamp for the submission is slightly past the deadline, your film will still be in consideration.
Do I have to have my whole team sign a document? No. We are revising that part of the rules for next time. By submitting a film for the festival, you are agreeing to the terms and conditions found at the bottom of this page.
Can I post my film on my personal social media? Yes. Posting the video on your own social media has no effect on the judging process or qualification of your film.
Why was my film disqualified? If the runtime on your film was noticeably over the time limit specifications, your film was disqualified. If you believe you were mistakenly disqualified, please reach out to the festival committee contact@agbo.com
OFFICIAL PROMPT
In this challenge, participants are required to play with genres. Using at least 3 identifiable genres, your task is to combine, weave, question, mock, embrace, dissect and/or analyze various styles and themes into a unique short film. Action, comedy, horror… whatever it may be, we want you to engage with genre categories unlike ever before.
Submission Deadline: Sunday, May 1, 2022 @ 5:00pm PST
ABOUT
Welcome to AGBO’s second annual filmmaking competition for emerging creators, “No Sleep ‘til Film Fest.” The virtual short film festival invites filmmakers to make a short movie in only 48 hours.
As an artist-led company, AGBO firmly believes that great ideas can come from anyone, anywhere. Part of AGBO’s commitment to championing emerging content creators, the two-day festival challenges participants to make bite-sized films, three minutes or less, for a chance to win prizes and mentorship from the independent studio.
The panel of judges include AGBO Co-Founders Anthony Russo, Joe Russo, and Mike Larocca, Co-Presidents of Story Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, and President of Creative Angela Russo-Otstot. The AGBO executives will select three winning films to premiere across AGBO’s social channels, and winners will receive prizes provided in sponsorship by RED camera, Aputure Lighting, GoPro, Microsoft, and Final Draft.
HOW THIS WORKS:
On Friday, April 29th at 5:00pm PST, the festival prompt will be posted online. Participants have until 5:00pm PST on Sunday, May 1st to submit films. Films and additional materials must be submitted via our Film Freeway submission page only, and we’ll announce the winners on Friday, June 17th.
GET STARTED
Form your team. Consider your strengths and those of your friends when organizing cast and crew. Do you know who will be writing your film? Directing? Acting? Editing? Who will keep everyone on the strict timeline? Will you create original music for scoring? We encourage you to connect in-person or remotely with whomever you see fit to build your team.
Scout locations. Consider areas of your home or around your neighborhood that would be optimal for shooting and interesting to see on camera.
Gather your equipment. Consider the lighting, sound, and film equipment you have at your disposal. Will you use practical lamps or flashlights to light your sets? While an iPhone can be a powerful filming tool, you may also have an old video camera or a dSLR in your home. Be creative when gathering your materials, and remember: you have everything you need.
Brush up on the rules. Read our complete festival terms and conditions below.
Check out tips for new filmmakers. The Russo Brothers’ entire collection of Pizza Film School is an education straight from the experts. Watch the series on the AGBO YouTube channel.
Watch last year’s winners and honorable mentions. AGBO’s “No Sleep ‘til Film Fest” received over 700 submissions from filmmakers in over 60 countries in its inaugural year. 2021 winners included “Happy Day” directed by Kali Davis, “Pineapple” directed by Stephen Ford, and “My House” by Adam Dumaguin. Watch all on the AGBO YouTube channel.
PRIZES
The top three winners will have their short films showcased on AGBO’s social media channels, and also be inducted into the AGBO Storytellers’ Collective, an alumni network of participants from other AGBO fellowship programs.
1st Place: RED Komodo Starter Pack, a LS 1200d Pro and Nova P600c light from Aputure, the HERO10 Black Creator Edition camera from GoPro, a Surface Pro 8 from Microsoft, and a copy of Final Draft 12 Screenwriting software.
2nd & 3rd Place: a LS 600d Pro, F10 Fresnel, F10 Barn Doors, and Light Dome 150 from Aputure, the HERO10 Black Creator Edition camera from GoPro, a Surface Pro 8 from Microsoft and a copy of Final Draft 12 Screenwriting software.
AGBO Storytellers Collective Award: The Collective will be involved with the judging this year. Members of the existing collective will select a winning filmmaker who will also join the alumni network.
TIPS FOR FILMMAKERS
Study before the festival with Russo Bros. Pizza Film School, a web series created and hosted by the Russo Brothers this past summer. The Russos aim to educate and spread some love to some of the films and filmmakers who have influenced them most, while also discussing technique and enjoying pizza from a local pizzeria.
Movies discussed on the show’s first season included La Haine; Ronin; The Evil Dead; The Empire Strikes Back featuring Luke Skywalker himself, Mark Hamill; No Country for Old Men with Josh Brolin, Flash Gordon with Taika Waititi; Blue Velvet; Once Upon a Time in the West; and Back to the Future with screenwriter, producer, and co-creator Bob Gale. The Russos have been joined on other episodes by film critic Pete Hammond; journalist, producer and festival director Silvia Bizio; and the screenwriting duo Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely who also serve as Co-Presidents of Story for AGBO.
FESTIVAL RULES
You must be over the age of 13 to submit your film. If you are 18 or older you may register for yourself or on behalf of your team. If you are not over the age of 18, your parent or legal guardian must submit the film on your behalf with the parental consent form.
You have 48 Hours. On Friday, April 29th at 5:00pm PT, we’ll post the Festival prompt and guidelines to this page and to AGBO socials. You then have until 5:00pm PST on Sunday, May 1st to submit your film. Upload your film and additional materials via our submission page. Submissions received after 5:00pm PST on Sunday may not be eligible for consideration. All creativity must take place during this 48-Hour window. Any creative work in advance of the competition weekend is prohibited. Creative work includes, but is not limited to: Writing the script, Rehearsing, Costume/Set Design, Shooting, Editing, Sound Design, Rendering, Uploading your film to our submission page. The only work to begin prior to the challenge’s announcement is: Forming your team (organizing cast & crew), Scouting locations, and Gathering equipment.
Respond creatively to our prompt. The film prompt will be open-ended. It’s up to you to create an engaging universe for your film.
Keep films to a maximum total runtime of 3 minutes. Films must adhere to a minimum total runtime of 30 seconds, and a maximum total runtime of 3 minutes. These are the length of the entry not including end credits. Credits must be less than 15 seconds.
Keep content kid-friendly. In general, the entries must not be indecent or obscene. Please use MPAA’s PG-13 rating rubric as a guideline for acceptable content.
You are welcome to submit films in any language. Subtitles are optional but encouraged.
Adhere to our acceptable use of VFX, Stock Footage, Copyright Materials. Animation and special effects are permitted but must be created after the challenge’s announcement. No stock footage or footage shot or created at another time may be used unless the footage is part of a post-production effect or on a background monitor, i.e., a television, as long as the team has rights to the stock footage and the stock footage is placed over or under footage that is shot within the Official Time Period. Allowable stock footage includes bullets, fires, explosions, chromakeyed backgrounds, etc., but stock footage of people or other performers is not allowed. You must have authorization if copyrighted material is used. This includes music, video, and any other materials that someone else has created. (e.g., you may not use a popular song as the film’s soundtrack unless you have written permission.)
Submission Materials. When submitting your film, please follow the Film Freeway form. If you are under the age of 18, a parental consent form must be signed by your parent or legal guardian.
Union Members. Please note SAG has restrictions on posting films with SAG actors on the web. SAG members may wish to check with SAG if they can participate in this challenge.
Late Films. If you miss the deadline, keep working and upload your submission materials as soon as you can.