Female Filmmakers Are Finalists in “Yes We Cannes” Filmmaking Challenge

Inland Empire, CA, January 18, 2023 --(PR.com)-- The 48 Hour Film Project (48HFP), the world's oldest and largest timed filmmaking competition, announced the finalists of their “Yes We Cannes” (YWC) Film Challenge on Wednesday, January 18, 2023, with local production group Footlight Studios being among the finalists. Footlight Studios and their YWC film Stealing Time will head to Filmapalooza 2023 in Los Angeles with 14 other finalists to vie for the short list of films screening at the Cannes Film Festival’s Short Film Corner this year.

Previously, Footlight Studios competed in the 48 Hour Film Project IE Edition and brought in four top honors with their film The Spaces Between, including the Audience Award and Best Film of IE 2022. Vanessa Silva - Team Leader, Director, Cinematographer, Co-Writer and Co Editor - took home Best Director and Chelsea Gray won Best Acting in a Leading Role.

As the 48 Hour Film Project IE Edition winner, the Footlights were invited to participate in “Yes We Cannes” - a special worldwide competition for the very best filmmakers of the 48HFP 2022. Select winning teams were challenged to make a new film - from concept to final - in just 48 hours. Like the 48HFP, they were given a genre, a character, a prop, and a line of dialogue - all required - and the rest was up to them to make a 4-7 minute short film. The top 15 finalists of YWC will screen at Filmapalooza 2023 and the top 8 will screen at the Cannes Film Festival - Short Film Corner in Cannes, France in May. The top 8 are set to be announced during Filmapalooza 2023’s award ceremony this coming March.

“We are completely honored to have both ‘The Spaces Between’ and ‘Stealing Time’ at Filmapalooza 2023 and couldn’t be more grateful.” -Vanessa Silva
“Thank you to Mark Rupert for an amazing competition, the Rhino Street Productions Team for collaborating with us, and the entire Footlights Team who consistently work relentlessly to make films like this happen.”

Footlight Studios seized the opportunity to collaborate with the IE second place winners, Rhino Street Productions, to create their new original film - Stealing Time. Like many Footlight films, Stealing Time is not what it appears on the surface. While initially it appears to be about a man defending his home from an unexpected holiday visitor, the twist, meaning, and message go much deeper and, like The Spaces Between, tackles a very sensitive issue with heart.

About The 48 Hour Film Project - The 48 Hour Film Project is an international filmmaking event celebrating its 20th Anniversary. As a global community built on local events, the 48HFP connects with thousands of filmmakers each year on six continents. Since the 48 Hour Film Project’s inception, more than 1,400 projects have taken place, over 50,000 short films have been made, and more than 600,000 filmmakers have taken part.

About the Footlights Team - Footlight Studios is a women-helmed production company that puts female storytellers at the forefront - in front and behind the camera - in pivotal and essential roles. Its Executive Producers are Vanessa Silva, Heather Hentila, Chelsea Gray & Ainsley Strachan, who have been working together in the scope of film, series, video, and picture production since 2014. The Team they assembled for the 48HFP also includes filmmakers Cassie Anderson, Alex Flores, Rachael Olsem, and Dillan Blackwood Silva, and is in association with Rhino Street Productions’ Matt Adamo, Jenny Adamo and Hannah Warner. The Footlights’ goal is to make an inclusive, safe, and professional space for storytellers, regardless of experience, with a focus on female creatives.