Part of the 42nd Asian American International Film Festival
Presented by Asian CineVision in association with Asia Society

72 Hour Shootout
DCP. 75 min. 

The 15th Annual 72 Hour Shootout is a global filmmaking competition for everyone from novices to established filmmakers. Filmmaking teams are given a common theme at the start of the Shootout (usually 8pm EST, the first Thursday of June) and then have 72 hours to write, shoot, edit, and complete short films up to five minutes in length.

For almost two decades, the Film Lab and the Shootout have provided a platform for faces, voices and stories too often marginalized, whitewashed or silenced by mainstream media. Registrants can obtain screen tests and mentorships from major TV networks and established industry professionals to help develop their careers and the top ten films screen at the AAI Film Festival, on the TV series "Film Lab Presents," and are promoted online via AAFL TV.

Teams compete for access to a year of free educational and networking events, mentorships with executives at NBC, ABC, and more, cash, prizes and the chance to have their films screened at film festivals, both nationally and internationally. The competition creates a valuable opportunity for filmmakers of color – focusing on Asian American filmmakers – and women to demonstrate their talent, gain exposure in the entertainment industry and impact the visibility of diverse stories and characters in film. One of the Shootout requirements is that at least one key production member (e.g., director, producer or writer) and a principal actor from each team must be of Asian descent.

Judges include: ABC Primetime Casting Director Marci Phillips; Screenwriter Aaron Ho (Cougar Town, ABC); President of Crossings TV Daniel Sakaya; and Screenwriter Kelli Johnson (The Blacklist).

The 42nd Asian American International Film Festival runs from July 25 to August 3.

The Asian American International Film Festival (AAIFF) premiered in the summer of 1978 in New York City answering a growing need for social understanding, cultural diversity in American life, and independent cinema. AAIFF is the first festival in the U.S. to showcase film and video work by artists of the Asian Diaspora. Forty years later, the AAIFF has grown to include films and video from more than 30 countries, a variety of topical panels and workshops, industry mixers, staged readings, exclusive interviews, receptions and more.