Call for submissions: the T24 Project

The Toronto Youth Shorts Film Festival has put out a call for submissions for their next edition of the T24 Project.

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The T24 Project, our very own unique 24 hour film challenge unlike any other, is back this coming February and we want YOU to make some cool films about the city for us!

On Friday February 10, 2012, teams of local young filmmakers will be given a challenge question pertaining to life in the city and they must make a film that will answer this question.  For one night, a lot of young talented people with cameras will run amok the city to tell us their own stories about the Toronto experience.  CLICK HERE to register your team!

So for those of you new to this: what is the T24 Project?  It’s a 24 hour film challenge but unlike every other challenge where everyone is given a different selection of props, locations, themes and odd pieces of dialogue, we give everyone a challenge question, usually pertaining to how our city is incorporated into various facets of arts and culture. 

Examples of questions we’ve asked include how attitudes of people in different neighbourhoods affect one another, how an ordinary event can be depicted as being cinematically extraordinary and how space acts as a subtext for various relationships and how these relationships evolve the space in return.  It’s a truly breathtaking experience on both the filmmakers’ part and the audience as every project we receive will be a fusion of locality plus the filmmakers’ own unique stories all rolled up into the teams' creativity in filmmaking.  For the audience, it’s a window to many local tales by the city's inhabitants that are normally hidden.

Unlike the other challenges, everyone receives the same package.  The only unique differences between every film is how the filmmakers approach answering the challenge question in their entry.  During deliberation of awards, everyone is judged equally amongst each other because everyone made a movie toward a common theme.

Why take part in the T24 Project?  Well, there are a few reasons:

1. It’s really inexpensive compared to all other similar challenges - our challenge costs $25 for a team of 4 to enter while others cost up to $250 dollars per team and sometimes they don't even cover your screening cost
2. You get feedback on your work by those in the industry - a panel of industry insiders give notes on each film and determine awards.  Past participants included film festival programmers, film critics and award-winning filmmakers.
3. It’s a way to tell your own story about your surroundings - Toronto is a unique and multifaceted city and rarely does it get the recognition it deserves on the screen
4. It’s a quick way to have a finished film to show off to your family and friends – seriously, it’s only ONE DAY on a weekend for that matter that you need to spare from whatever else you may be doing
5. It’s a great starting point for those with little to no experience in filmmaking – we’ve had people make their first film ever through the T24 Project
6. You get to learn how you work under immense pressure and see what you’re capable of
7. It’s a great way to stretch your creative muscles
8. It’s extremely fun!

Here’s what some of the past participants have to say about the T24 Project.

A great launching point for any aspiring filmmaker, especially those from the Greater Toronto Area. I will continue to come back until they get annoyed with me.
- Philbert Lui, Winner of 2011 T24 Visual Thesis Award

In my opinion the T24 Project film challenge is close to being an essential task for any up and coming film maker. The learning curve is steep and even if the result of your film is less than amazing what you learn about the process and demands of film making is priceless.
- Chris Laxton, participant of the 2010/2011 T24 Project

The T24 Project was one of the best experiences in filmmaking that I have had to date. Bringing together a team of top notch filmmakers and producing a short film of such excellent quality over 24 fun and exhilarating hours was the highlight of 2010 and will be again an amazing experience in 2011. I gained an excellent understanding of how I work under pressure, as well as learning a lot about the different skills that my crew had to offer. It was a tiring and difficult endeavour that every filmmaker should try, at least once (if not every year that Henry decides to keep it running!)
- Jamie McMillan, participant of the 2010/2011 T24 Project

So what are you waiting for?  Get those teams ready and make a movie!

https://sites.google.com/site/torontoyouthshorts/t24