48hr Film Festival — lacrossefilmacademy.org

La Crosse 48 Hr Film Festival

April 12-18, 2024

The 48 Hr Film Festival is open to all students and residents from the Driftless Region (teams must include at least one adult 18 years of age or older). Please click on the link below for the full registration criteria and to register for the Festival.

48 Hour Film Festival Timeline

Friday, March 31st - 48 Hour Film Festival Registration Deadline
Friday, April 12th - 6:01pm Drawing of Categories @ Rivoli - Start of Festival (Doors open @ 5:00 pm)
Sunday, April 14th - 6:00 pm Film Submission Deadline
Thursday, April 18th - 5:00-8:00 pm Film Screenings & Award Announcements @ Rivoli

Click here to reserve your tickets to the live Festival event

The 48hr Film Festival is honored to have judges from LA, Chicago, and La Crosse representing all areas of film creation.

CLICK THE NAMES BELOW TO LEARN MORE ABOU THE JUDGES.

Yaroslav explores themes of familial trauma and unrequited love through action-packed thrillers and grounded science fiction. His projects have garnered several accolades from The Hit List, the Austin Film Festival, the Final Draft Launch Pad Feature Competition, Dances With Films, and the Queen Palms International Film Festival. Yaroslav has worked with Netflix, Dark Horse Entertainment, and Silver Pictures and is currently developing a feature film with Starman Films. In addition, he consults as a technical writer for Sony’s Cinema Division.
lives in La Crosse, WI, where he works as a multimedia artist. From his day-life as a video editor and motion graphics designer for commercial video, to his night-life as a musician and recording engineer, he finds happiness and inspiration through creative collaboration. Professional history includes: Musical Director for CabinFever Live Arts, Video Editor at The UDDA (digital media and marketing agency), Recording and Mastering Engineer at Whalehouse Records, Video Editor at Joy Jacobs Photography and more…
For the last twelve of her twenty-four years in LA, Anne was a documentary producer and casting for The History Channel, The Discovery Channel, PBS "Nova," three iterations of "Cosmos," and various other production companies. She decamped back to Wisconsin in 2003 and has taught Film and Theatre Appreciation as an adjunct professor at Viterbo. Anne has directed plays for the Pump House, The La Crosse Community Theater, and UW-La Crosse.
Teddy Eck is an Assistant Professor of Theatre and Music Theatre at Viterbo University as well as the Executive Director of the La Crosse Film Academy. Previously he was Department Chair of the Theatre and Film Department at Monterey Peninsula College in Monterey, CA. He holds a BFA in Musical Theatre Performance from The New School in NYC, where he also has a degree in Film Production and Screenwriting. In addition, he has an MFA in Directing from University of Memphis and a certificate in Nonprofit Leadership and Philanthropy. He has been a member of AEA and SAG AFTRA for almost 20 years. His professional credits include numerous stage productions including working at The Public Theatre and Irish Repertory Theater in NYC. He also has many on-screen credits in TV, Film, Commercials, and industrial work including; A guest star role on Law & Order SVU Ep.“Gone”, One Life to Live, The Notorious Bettie Page, Lincoln directed by Steven Spielberg and many others.

Jonathan Gelatt graduated from UW Madison in 2008 with a degree in English. He then followed his passion to New York City, working at several music publications while developing his own graphic novel series. It was while in New York that he fell in love with independent movie theaters and saw the potential that they hold for a community. Since assuming co-ownership of the Rivoli in 2022, Jonathan has acted as the creative force behind the theater, focusing on bringing unique programming and community partnerships to the Rivoli's big screen
Barret Helms wanted to be America’s first Black President, but when Obama beat him to it, he had an existential crisis and dropped out of college. He became a fashion model for Abercrombie, Glamour, and Cosmo and worked as an actor in projects including Lee Daniels’s PRECIOUS and ONE LIFE TO LIVE. He eventually went back to school to become an Ivy League graduate, USC George Lucas Scholar, and Annenberg Fellow. Having never quite given up social justice, Barret worked as Inclusion & Equity Coordinator at the Writers Guild of America, West, before staffing as Story Editor on SWEET MAGNOLIAS. Presently, he serves as Vice Chair of the WGA Committee of Black Writers.
Sarah Randall Hunt is an actress, producer, and writer originally hailing from the midwest. On screen, you can find her acting on shows like 1923, Black-ish, Chronic, Unfinished Business, etc. She's produced (and sometimes written) several short films and web series that toured the globe garnering accolades from Dances With Films, Seoul WebFest, KC Film Fest, LA Film Fest, and more. She and her husband were recipients of the Women in Film Grant from NYFA/MOME.
Michael is the Founder and Artistic Director of Vagabond School of the Arts, Chicago’s premiere Acting for Film Program. He has been in the professional entertainment industry for over 20 years in multiple different capacities including a tv/film, commercial and theatrical Talent Agent in Chicago (Grossman & Jack Talent, Shirley Hamilton Talent), freelance casting session director (Simon Casting, The Cast Station), and SAG-AFTRA Actor (Chicago Med, Hyundai, Lunchables). Michael has taught Acting for Film Master Classes at DePaul, Columbia, Loyola, University of Illinois Chicago, North Central College and Millikin University.