48 Hour Film Fest

Sponsored by:
Wheeling Heritage, Pete Holloway, John Bonassi ’69, Connie Thompson and West Liberty University

Kick-off Event for Participants:

Friday, September 5, 2025 • 4pm
WLU Media Arts Lobby

Public Screenings:

Sunday, September 7, 2025 • 7pm
Waterfront Hall, Wheeling, WV

What is a 48-hour film fest?

The WLU 48 Hour Film Festival is an opportunity for students to showcase their talents through film. Participants will randomly draw a genre, line of dialogue, a character profile, and a prop at the orientation meeting, and then spend the next 48 hours completing their film from script to screen. Submissions will be received at the end of that 48 hour period and then screened and judged live at Waterfront Hall in downtown Wheeling. This is a competition with cash prizes!

Rules:

Open to all WLU students from any major and area high school students
Prizes for winning entries (1st and 2nd place, College/High School)
Genres: Your film must be true to the genre you have selected. No trading with other teams! An award will be given for the best adherence to the genre.
Props: These elements must be integrated into the film and be able to be seen. There will be an award for the most creative use of each prop.
Characters: The required character does not have to be the star, but we must see him/her on the screen. Name tags, etc. are not necessary so long as the audience can infer who he/she is. An award will be given for the best use of the character profile.
Required lines: The required line of dialogue must be heard or seen – it may be written. It may be in a foreign language; however if it is not clear that this is the required line, it should be translated. An award will be given for the most creatively used required line.
Length: All submissions must be 6-10 minutes in length
Participants must attend the Kick-off event 4pm Fri., Sept. 5 in the WLU Media Arts Lobby
Registration in open until kick-off event. Pre-registration is preferred.