What’s new in 2012:

- This year’s theme is green energy and our warm-up competition is Socket Stories. The deadline is May 13. Check out the details on Socketstories.org>>

- Teams from Finland, Sweden and Estonia can take part in Uneton48. Originally a Finnish event, most of the physical events are held in Helsinki, Finland. However, if you’re too far from Helsinki, you’ll be catered for online.

- The finalist teams are invited to pitch their next short format film / TV idea to a panel consisting of funding bodies, TV channels and producers. The best ones are given a funding + distribution deal. More information to come…

- To keep track of all the crazy shit happening over the competition weekend, we are pimping up our LIVE online TV. We need your ‘making of’ material, Facebook-updates and tweets! The best ones will win prizes. And if you want to be involved, come along to create some funky programming. Contact us >>

Considering all this, it’s fair to say Uneton48 could launch your film career.

Here’s a closer look at how Uneton48 works:

Competition Launch – May 18

At 6pm on Friday night, 1-2 representatives from each team gather for the competition launch (location in Helsinki TBC). During an hour-long countdown, each team draws a genre for their short film.

After the genre draw, the other obligatory elements are revealed. These usually include a prop, a character and a line of dialogue. All these elements have to appear in all films. This is how we make sure you actually make the film in the given 48 hours.

At the end of the event, we draw genres for teams who can’t make it to the launch. These details are uploaded on our website right after the event.

Competition weekend

At precisely 7pm on Friday night, the teams are set free to make their movie. There are exactly 48,5 hours at their disposal (the last half hour allowing a little extra time for the drop-off). The teams can use this time how ever they see fit. There are no rules as to how and where the film has to be made. We only hope for everyone’s sake that it’s all legal.

The drop-off – May 20

The finished short film has to be dropped off by 7.30pm on the following Sunday. Finland’s drop-off locations will be set up in partnership with Filmtown video stores. Online drop-off is available to any team further than 50km away from the nearest drop-off point.

Theatre screenings – May 29 – June 4

All films, including late ones, are screened in movie theatres. In Finland, this usually means Helsinki + 4-5 other cities, according to the number of teams in each area. Depending on the number of teams from Sweden and Estonia, we might arrange local screenings in Stockholm and Tallinn.

These screening are a great opportunity to catch up with other filmmakers and hear their crazy weekend stories. In each screening, we also have the audience scribble down feedback for each film. All feedback slips are displayed on the walls at the Grand Final.

Choosing the winners

Due to a large number of entries, there two juries. The first one screens all films and shortlists 30-40 of them, of which the next jury chooses the finalists and winners. In 2011, 15 films made it to the finals. In the past years, the jury members have included Dome Karukoski, Johanna Vuoksenmaa, Laura Malmivaara and Aleksi Bardy.

The Grand Final – Saturday, June 9

Uneton48 ends with the Grand Final. Slightly different every year, this event brings together filmmakers, musicians and other film-related entities, for celebration and networking. The evening begins with the screening of the finalist films, followed by the prize ceremony.

(Any ideas / questions? Go on U48 FB and join the discussion on U48 Helpdesk and have your say!)

This year Uneton48 is collaborating with EKOenergy, Europe’s gold standard for sustainable energy, to present Socket Stories – a film event that will highlight the importance of green living in today’s world.

Why do we need EKOenergy?

True sustainability is not as simple as it sounds. Even “renewable” sources of energy can have an adverse effect on the environment. That’s where EKOenergy comes in. As Europe’s leading sustainable energy certifier, EKOenergy impartially and independantly works to assess the environmental impact of energy providers. As well as a mark of conscience, the EKO label is also a valuable marketing tool for the power companies who earn it, as consumers become increasingly sustainability conscious. Uneton48 is proud to partner with EKOenergy – we believe that they are forging the way to a cleaner, smarter future.

Thankyou to our Partners!

Filmmakers Connected links: