Omaha Film Festival Kicks Off 48-Hour Filmmaking Challenge

September 5th, 2025

In filmmaking, deadlines are always tight—but the Omaha Film Festival’s 48-Hour Challenge pushes them to the extreme. Starting on September 5, the festival will challenge local filmmakers to create a five-minute short film in just two days. From writing to shooting and editing from scratch, the challenge is designed to bring together storytellers from all walks of life.

Executive Director of the Omaha Film Festival, Marc Longbrake, says, “It’s wide open to everyone— all ages are welcome. If you’re a film professional, great, come out, we’d love to see your work. If you’re a kid with a cellphone and a dream, we’d love to see you come out as well.”

The festival offers a valuable platform for both seasoned professionals and aspiring creatives. Once the 48 hours are up, all submitted films will be screened on September 18 at Aksarben Cinema.

“It’s a nice level playing ground,” Longbrake says. “We’ve got professional film crews here in town who are excited about it… but then you’ve got high school kids and even adults shooting on a cellphone.”

To keep filmmakers on their toes, each team will have to incorporate a specific line of dialogue, a prop, and a genre—drawn at random at the start of the event.

“But what I’m asking for is: be creative with that,” Longbrake adds. “I want to see an interesting use of the [prop]. I want to see an interesting use of that doorknob. Same thing with the line of dialogue.”

The 48-Hour Film Challenge kicks off September 5 at 7:00 p.m., with the official screening event taking place September 18 at Aksarben Cinema. More information can be found at omahafilmfestival.org.