Modern cities are full of examples of weekend warriors who start out on a Friday with a task and then by Sunday present their solutions. Locally, this act often takes the form of young entrepreneurs assisting one another to deliver a viable startup business plan or a group of designers solving a problem for a local nonprofit. But for some time, groups within the arts scene of Grand Rapids have been doing this far longer.
One such group, the
Grand Rapids Film Festival (GRFF), champions collaborative filmmaking and exhibition but also—through its 36-hour Challenge— provide a working exercise that further expands the education opportunities in Grand Rapids’ filmmaking scene.
And while the creation portion of the 36-hour Challenge has already attracted 150 participants of various degrees of experience, this project has resulted in 26 new films of which 20 will screen at Celebration Cinema North.
There will be an awards ceremony and networking opportunity at the theatre’s Wave Room at the end of the screenings.
“We want filmmakers to expand their networks and work with new people,” says Jen Shaneberger, GRFF President and CEO. “We want universities to work together. No more silos!”
Shaneberger also mentions that area education centers including GVSU, Calvin, Compass College of Cinematic Arts, KCAD, and Ferris, all sent teams to this year’s competition. A first this year was the infusion of professional teams from Lansing and Chicago as well joining the 2018 36-Hour Challenge.
For more details, visit GRFF’s
Facebook event page.