Registration Opens For The 20th Annual 72 Hour Shootout Filmmaking Competition

NEW YORK - March 1, 2024 - PRLog -- Registration opened today for the Film Lab's 20th Annual 72 Hour Shootout ("Shootout") filmmaking competition, which will take place in early June.  Filmmakers began registering online at www.film-lab.org for the global event, which is designed to promote gender and racial parity in entertainment media and to empower emerging female filmmakers and filmmakers of color, particularly Asian Americans.  Judges include Marci Phillips (VP, Casting for ABC Primetime), Jandiz Cardoso Estrada of Sundance, Antony Wong (Program Coordinator at the Asian American / Asian Research Institute (AAARI), of The City University of New York (CUNY)), Daniel Sakaya of CrossingsTV, and more.

Shootout teams compete for film festival and television exhibition, mentorship from top executives at major networks, cash, and other prizes.  The top ten films have the chance to screen their films at the prestigious Asian American International Film Festival, the only festival of its kind on the East Coast. The Shootout creates opportunities for filmmakers of color and women, particularly Asian Americans, to demonstrate their talent, gain exposure in the entertainment industry and create positive significant impact on the visibility of Asian and Asian American stories and characters in film and television.  Explained Francis Chin, lawyer and competition Senior Coordinator, "[o]ver the last two decades, the 72 Hour Film Shootout has been crucial for AAPIs looking to explore filmmaking, offering a practical platform to express their voice and creativity. Having led several teams myself, the Shootout has honed my skills, particularly as an editor, while allowed me to test the waters in other roles. The three days of intense focus with my cast and crew created lifelong bonds and memories, as well as admiration of what other teams have accomplished when their films debut."

"The Shootout is more than a filmmaking competition; it creates career altering mentorships, exposure and networking opportunities," agreed Film Lab's President, actor Jennifer Betit Yen.  Shootout sponsors include New York Women in Film & Television, The Asian American International Film Festival, Asian CineVision, CrossingsTV, Bastu!, Face Off Unlimited, ScriptHop, The Cre8sian Project, and many more.  The Shootout is supported by New York State Council on the Arts and New York City Cultural Affairs.

About the Film Lab
The Film Lab is a non-profit 501(c)(3) headquartered in New York City that has been dedicated to the promotion and support of gender and ethnic diversity in media since 1998.  The Film Lab accomplishes that goal in three ways:  (1) education; (2) outreach and support; and (3) film, television and online entertainment production.  www.film-lab.org @AsAmFilmLab #72HrSO