An indie film company in Birmingham in partnership BOA Stage and Screen Production Academy students have won the Sci-fi London 48-hour Film Challenge. The competition is to write, shoot, and edit a finished five-minute-long film, in just two days.

The students, under the watch of Threewise Entertainment split themselves into three teams; two teams were led by industry professionals, whilst a trio of BOA students were given the opportunity to lead their very own production. The three teams were issued with the Challenge Prompts by the organisers and had just 48 hours to submit their completed films.

The three films created over the course of one weekend were ‘A Million Numbers’ (written and directed by Matt Cooke and Vince Lund), ‘Stolen Thought’ (written by Chris Deans and directed by AJ Davies) and ‘Solar’ (written by Bea Graves and directed by Connor Clifford and Lewis Hooper).

‘Solar’ was entirely student led with support by industry mentors, including Sindy Campbell from Film Birmingham, who also sponsored the project. ‘Stolen Thought’ and ‘A Million Numbers’ both made it to the Top Ten shortlist of the competition, with the latter taking the Top Prize.

‘A Million Numbers’, the award-winning film, features a time travelling cab driver who pulls the ultimate "forever shift" for one last chance to watch his daughter grow up.

“We’ve always had a passion for 80s movies, sci-fi and time travel, and if ever we needed a time machine it was for a competition where we only had 48 Hours to make a film. We’re really proud of the result and it was great to take on the challenge alongside the next generation of Midlands filmmakers.”

- WRITERS AND DIRECTORS’ MATT COOKE AND VINCE LUND OF AWARD-WINNING FILM ‘A MILLION NUMBERS

The professional panel of judges commended the production values: “Reminded me of Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure. I liked the ambitious nature of this short with costumes, characters and VFX” and heaped praise on the film as a whole, “the editing was excellent and the story touches on a nice moment with a human message.”

Watch the winning film on youtube

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Threewise Entertainment (Creators of Nickelodeon’s ‘Rock Island Mysteries’) wanted to give an opportunity to young people in the Midlands and kickstart the career of a new generation of talent.

“The West Midlands is brimming with creatives and with 80% of UK Crew out of work this last Summer due to the US Writer and Actor Strikes, we wanted to help shine a spotlight on some of the Top Talent in the region, and crucially to make content not just for young people but with young people.”

- MICHAEL FORD, FOUNDER & CHIEF CONTENT OFFICER AT THREEWISE ENTERTAINMENT

Broadcast Students from Year 12 and Year 13 worked as Assistants to the professional Crew on all three films. The Birmingham Production Hub that was set up at BOA to run this initiative gave Year 12 and Year 13 Students their first IMDB credits.

“We are delighted that our students had the opportunity to compete in this prestigious competition alongside a fantastic team of professionals. All three films are excellent and have received exceptional praise from the judges. It was a huge undertaking, with everyone putting in so much hard work to make it to the finish line. To take part in this competition alongside industry professionals is an honour, but to win is truly outstanding.”

- Michael Painter, BOA Stage and Screen Production Academy Principal

The competition itself sees filmmakers from all over the world compete for the title, with winners previously including Director Gareth Edwards, with the 48Hr Challenge catapulting his career to new heights (Monsters 2010, Godzilla 2014, Star Wars: Rogue One 2016).

With growing technological advances and more production companies moving to the midlands, students at BOA Stage and Screen will help bridge the skills shortage in the production industry, both in Birmingham and further afield.

BOA Stage & Screen Production Academy provides an industry-led approach to developing the skills and experience of young people post 16 who are passionate about working in film TV, online and theatre production.

Designed to spark talent and creativity, the BOA curriculum is made up of a series of pathways. These include broadcast, film & content, production arts & stage management, technical theatre & live events, and writing, directing & screen-craft. BOA Stage and Screen have just released a brand-new course, make-up & hair for theatre, tv and film.