AGBO Sets Dates For Second Annual No Sleep ‘Til Film Fest Short Filmmaking Competition

AGBO today announced that its second annual filmmaking competition, No Sleep ’til Film Fest, inviting filmmakers from all over the world to make a short film in just 48 hours, will take place from April 29th to May 1st.

The free, virtual festival reflects the independent film and television production company’s ongoing commitment to championing newer creators, challenging participants to make shorts of three minutes or less in length, for a chance to win prizes and mentorship. This year’s creative prompt will be released online on April 29th at 5 p.m. PT, with filmmakers then having two days to create and submit their films. Winners will be announced on June 8th.

Three winners will be selected by a panel of judges including 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, with the top films then premiering across AGBO’s social channels.

The first-place winner will receive a RED Komodo Starter Pack, along with an 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. Both runners up will receive a LS 600d Pro, as well as 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, with all three winners joining the AGBO Storytellers Collective, an alumni network of participants from other AGBO fellowship programs.

This year, for the first time, the Collective will also be involved with judging films, with AGBO also introducing a Storytellers Collective Award for the members of the existing collective to select a winning filmmaker who will also join the alumni network.

The first edition of No Sleep ’til Film Fest received over 700 submissions from filmmakers in over 60 countries. Winners included Happy Day, directed by Kali Davis; Pineapple, directed by Stephen Ford; and My House, by Adam Dumaguin.

AGBO recently produced A24’s acclaimed film Everthing Everywhere All at Once, directed by Daniels and starring Michelle Yeoh; and the harrowing drama Cherry, starring Tom Holland, which was directed by the Russo Brothers, co-written by Russo-Otstot, and released on Apple TV+. Upcoming projects include the Netflix action-thriller The Gray Man, starring Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans, Billy Bob Thornton, Alfre Woodard, Bridgerton breakout Regé-Jean Page and more, which the Russos are also directing; the action-packed event series Citadel, produced with Amazon Studios, which stars Priyanka Chopra and Richard Madden; and Extraction 2, directed by Sam Hargrave and starring Chris Hemsworth.

To apply for AGBO’s competition, and to find out more about its rules and regulations, click here.