January 18, 2008: On March 1st, Christian filmmakers across the country will participate in an exciting and challenging event — a 24-hour film contest. Organized by members of Christian Filmmakers.org, an online discussion and networking tool for Christian filmmakers, the contest will be sponsored and promoted by several noteworthy organizations and will offer a prize of $500 to the winning entry.

The contest will begin at 6:00 AM on March 1 with the publication of a list of “security elements,” three of which must be included in every film submission. This will verify that the film was produced within the 24-hour time limit. Each entry must be uploaded to YouTube and the link given to the judges by the contest deadline of 6:00 AM on March 2. Membership in Christian Filmmakers.org is not required.

Nathaniel Bluedorn, administrator of Christian Filmmakers.org and the driving force behind the 24-hour film contest, explains, “Christian Filmmakers.org is a growing network of faith-based filmmakers. We started in August and have more than 250 members now. We’re doing this contest to energize filmmakers and incite interest in filmmaking. More importantly, we want to expand networking among Christian filmmakers.” Christian Filmmakers.org boasts an international membership of Christian filmmakers at all skill levels from hopeful to veteran, specializing in every aspect of film production.

More details on the contest, including a complete list of the official rules, can be found at Christian Filmmakers.

Christian Filmmakers.org is the outgrowth of a Google Group which was originally conceived as a means for maintaining contact among alumni of the 2005 San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival. Launched on August 22, 2007, Christian Filmmakers.org has rapidly grown to include 273 members at the time of this writing. The site is focused on facilitating discussion and building relationships among Christian filmmakers without excluding anyone on the basis of gender, race, or denomination.

Christian Filmmakers