V48HOURS is the hugely successful annual filmmaking competition that celebrates chaos and creativity during one weekend each year. V48HOURS returns for its 8th year, attracting everyone from skilled filmmakers to enthusiastic newcomers.

This year over 650 team leaders will assemble squads (of up to 9,000+ people) to create 650 short films in just one weekend. Past winners have gone on to create acclaimed short films, feature films, television shows and even an Oscar nomination. V48HOURS shorts are first screened in heats throughout New Zealand cinemas, before the best are selected to compete against Peter Jackson's Wildcard picks on a two-week C4 television series that builds to a Grand Final, with just one film being crowned the Grand National Champ, winning a monumental package from a $100,000 prize pool.

V48HOURS past winners have included the talented likes of Taika Waititi (Eagle Vs Shark, Boy), Gerard Johnstone (The Jaquie Brown Diaries) and The Downlow Concept (7 Days). 2010 is going to be a sensational year and not just for that fact that Taranaki has now joined the regional line up. In the words of event director Ant Timpson;

"Each year it keeps growing and each year it produces a couple of works that can proudly stand alongside shorts made for tens of thousands of dollars. This year I'm really hoping some of the long term teams push themselves and produce works that subvert and deconstruct. Anything that results in highly original and maybe even visually deranged shorts is good in my book. We are at the edge of the digital frontier, so teams should be firing creative flaming arrows and burning down the status quo. Taranaki teams have participated previously but this year we're opening the floodgates to all teams from the region to showcase the considerable talent with their own competition".

V Energy, the long term partner of the event have decided to sign on as official naming rights sponsor for an additional three years, which in these recessionary times is a show of remarkable faith for the event and the talent that is being fostered.

Last years winner of the competition, the animated short "Charlotte" was picked up by the New Zealand Film Commission, who have come back onboard again with increased financial support for the competition and prize pool. NZFC CEO Graeme Mason explains

"The NZFC is proud to support and be a sponsor of V48Hours. V48Hours' philosophy is very much in line with our own philosophy, shown in our new Escalator scheme, that is, when teams of a like mind get together they can achieve great things in a short time with limited resources."


V48HOURS Official Website : www.V48hours.co.nz
Official VRepublic Site : www.vrepublic.co.nz

CITY FINALS: May 8/9
V48TV STARTS on C4: May 3, 10.30pm
V48TV GRAND FINAL on C4: May 20, 9.30pm