May 2026: Now Showing - Where Creativity Meets Chaos: The Return of the 48 Hour Film Project
- May 14
- 3 min read
There is a certain kind of person who signs up to spend an entire weekend running on caffeine, adrenaline, and almost no sleep. It's all just for the chance to tell a story. For Albuquerque filmmaker Chad Terry, that creative madness is what makes the ABQ 48 Hour Film Project so exciting year after year.
The Albuquerque edition of the international filmmaking competition again invites local creatives to race against the clock. They must create an original short film in only 48 hours. Every creative decision, from writing and casting to filming and editing, must be made within a single weekend. It is intense, unpredictable, exhausting—and according to Terry, completely worth it. “You know, prepare for a lot of lack of sleep for 48 hours,” Terry joked. “You’re going to be making a film.”
While the challenge itself may sound overwhelming to outsiders, the event is now one of the most anticipated creative competitions in New Mexico’s filmmaking community. Teams gather actors, crew members, costumes, props, and locations beforehand. Once the clock starts, the story itself must come together in real time. “The things that you can do to kind of prepare are look at your locations, see where you can film,” Terry explained. “Get your team together and get ready.”
What keeps filmmakers coming back year after year is not just the competition—it is the freedom.
“I think we’re adrenaline junkies,” Terry said with a laugh. “Every year it comes around, and you know you’re going to do something creative on your own or with your team. You don’t have a studio telling you this, that, this, that. You get to be in charge. You call the shots and have 48 hours to do it.”
That creative freedom has produced some remarkable films over the years. Many Albuquerque teams have surprised audiences not only locally, but internationally. Terry had just returned from Filmapalooza, the global competition where winning films from regional 48 Hour Film Projects compete, when he sat down for the interview. “We get worldwide eyes on our films here,” Terry shared. “The film that made it to Filmapalooza this year, a lot of people came up and talked to me specifically about it because it was that good.”
For Terry, seeing Albuquerque filmmakers recognized on an international stage continues to reinforce the strength of New Mexico’s creative community. “More eyes on New Mexico,” he said. “That’s good to hear.”
One project in particular left a lasting impression on him this past year: the winning film from local team Fumblers.
“Their film stalled,” Terry explained. “It was incredibly sweet, and it had a twist to it. I don’t want to spoil the twist so people can find it online, but it just didn’t go in the direction that you thought it was going to go.”
What made the experience memorable was not only the storytelling but the audience reaction.
“Everybody there had an audible gasp when the twist came,” Terry said. “That’s that moment filmmakers are waiting for.”
Moments like these are why the competition continues to grow. Beyond the deadlines and sleep deprivation, the ABQ 48 Hour Film Project allows filmmakers to experiment, collaborate, and take risks. It also continues to build community within New Mexico’s growing film industry. Veteran filmmakers work alongside newcomers. Actors meet future collaborators. Creatives who may never have crossed paths suddenly find themselves making a movie together at three o’clock in the morning.
There is something uniquely New Mexican about the event itself. Albuquerque’s filmmaking scene has thrived on collaboration and resourcefulness. The 48 Hour Film Project captures both perfectly. It strips filmmaking down to its most essential ingredients: passion, creativity, and the willingness to figure things out as you go.
This year’s filming weekend is August 14-16. Teams have one intense weekend to create their projects before screening them for audiences eager to see what happens when artists are pushed to their creative limits.
For Terry, the excitement never really fades. “There are some people that every year come around, and they’re like, ‘Yeah, let’s do this again,’” he said. “And honestly, I still can’t believe it.”
To learn more about the ABQ 48 Hour Film Project, registration, and upcoming updates, visit 48hourfilm.com/albuquerque or follow Chad Terry on Instagram for announcements and filmmaker resources.
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