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Best Picture 2026 The Last Lighthouse
Team Driftwood · Drama
Orange County · January 2027
48 Hours.
One Story.
Zero Excuses.
Southern California’s wildest filmmaking weekend. We hand you a theme. You build a team and make a complete film — written, shot, and edited — in just 48 hours. Then we screen it on the big screen.
Kickoff countdown
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48 Hours on the clock
120+ Filmmakers each year
24 Films premiered
$0 Entry fee
The 48-hour gauntlet
Never done this before?
Here’s exactly how it works.
No experience required — first-time filmmakers win all the time. All you need is a team, a phone or camera, and the guts to start.
- 🎬 Fri · 7:00 PM
The Theme Drops
One person from each team meets at our kickoff location. We reveal the secret theme live — and the clock starts the moment you walk out the door.
- 🎥 Fri–Sat
Write & Shoot
Crack the script, gather your cast, and shoot everywhere you can. Sleep is optional. Coffee is mandatory.
- ✂️ Sat–Sun
Edit & Score
Cut it together, add sound and music, and export. Every frame must be created inside the 48 hours.
- ⏱️ Sun · 7:00 PM
Submit Your Film
Hand it in before the buzzer. Late is the same as never — that pressure is the whole point.
- 🍿 Screening Night
Lights Down, Big Screen
We gather the whole community to watch every film on the big screen. Cheers, gasps, and the kind of pride you can only earn in a weekend.
The Hall of Fame
Real teams. Real weekends.
Real films.
Every one of these was made by people who had never met a deadline like this — and pulled it off. Yours could be next.
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Audience Favorite 2026 Reheated
The Midnight Cut · Comedy
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2026 Static
Channel 13 · Thriller
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Best Director 2025 Saltwater Hearts
Golden Hour · Romance
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2025 Last Call
Closing Time · Mockumentary
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Best Screenplay 2025 The Understudy
Second Take · Dark Comedy
Voices from the weekend
They came once.
They never stopped.
I showed up not knowing a single person on my team. By Sunday night they felt like family — and we had a film playing on the big screen.
Most intense, most fun 48 hours of my year. I’ve done three festivals now and I will never miss another one.
I came to watch and left wanting to compete. Seeing what people made in a weekend completely changed what I think is possible.
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Zero entry fee for filmmakers is only possible because of the local businesses who believe in Southern California storytelling.
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Reach hundreds of local creatives and a packed screening-night audience. Sponsorship packages start small and scale with your goals.
Registration opens soon
Don’t watch from
the back row.
Spots for January 2027 are limited and they go fast. Get on the list and we’ll make sure you’re first to know the moment registration opens.
No spam — just one heads-up when the doors open.