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SAN DIEGO—The RedEye 24-Hour Student Film Festival, in which middle-school through college student filmmakers are given one day to make a short movie based on the script provided by a professional screenwriter, kicked off February 7th at 6 a.m. EST. 40 teams spanning California to Florida participated in the competition, but as the digital dust settled only 21 teams who completed their movies within the allotted 24 hours were revealed to be vying for award recognition from the panel of American Academy of Arts (A3) judges.

Said project coordinator Ross Kallen, “It doesn't matter how short the finished film is, it's tough to make a quality movie from scratch in only 24 hours. The RedEye festival really puts young filmmakers to the test, challenging their skills as filmmakers at every level in every facet of film production - pre-production, principle photography and post-production. It's not surprising that so many can't meet the challenge.”

Director De Veau Dunn, who helmed team Endi's film representing Grossmont College of San Diego, CA, affirmed, “It was the hardest, most exhilarating thing I've ever done in my life! To wake up one morning with no concept of what was going to happen, then 24 hours later have a completed film that everybody involved in making is proud of — man, that's incredible!”

Extending from the San Diego-based IVIE RedEye competition that Kallen founded a year ago, the RedEye 24 online event allows students from around the world to compete. The festival is held four times a year and conducted entirely online through the A3 website, where visitors can watch all the movies for free at www.RedEye24.com. Winners of the debut competition will be announced soon.

The American Academy of Arts provides programs that offer hands-on, project-based learning with a focus on digital media. Bringing in professional television and film producers, directors, graphics specialists and production teams to mentor students, its unique approach to education provides real-world experience on both professional-level and student projects, utilizing the latest media technology. Programs sponsored by A3 have won numerous awards at the state, national and international levels. Most recently its programs received recognition for student Television Excellence from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

>> Visit RedEye 24 screening room

>> Visit The American Academy of Arts

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