AGBO, the independent film studio launched in 2017 by Anthony and Joe Russo, revealed the winners of “No Sleep ‘til Film Fest” today.
The 48-hour filmmaking competition requires filmmakers to create a three-minute or less short based on a provided creative prompt. This year’s top entrants included “Time of Your Life” by Darren Hinchy (first place), “Just a Sec!” by Tanya Lialina and Teodor Klimov (second place), and “02:00 Minutes” by Grace McLeod (third place). You can stream all three winning shorts over at AGBOVERSE.com/NoSleep.
“We are more impressed every year with the caliber of short films created in just 48 hours. Moreover, the enthusiasm from the participants continues to grow: This year we received over 500 submissions from over 45 countries,” said AGBO’s Chief Creative Officer Angela Russo-Otstot. “We are proud to host a festival that celebrates and champions filmmakers of all levels from all over the world.”
Hinchy, an Irish filmmaker currently residing in Canada, won first place for his short “Time of Your Life,” about a college freshman’s life unfolding solely on her phone screen. The directing team of Ukrainian filmmaker Lialina and Russian filmmaker Klimov took second place for “Just a Sec!”, a humorous drama about a man who halts his own funeral to deal with unfinished affairs. Finally, McLeod, a queer playwright and screenwriter from New York City, took third place for “02:00 Minutes,” a story of two best friends waiting for the results of a pregnancy test and imagining different outcomes in possible future timelines.
AGBO will award the winners various prizes. First place will receive a RED KOMODO Starter Pack, a new GoPro action camera, a Surface Pro 9 from Microsoft, a copy of DaVinci Resolve Studio from Blackmagic Design, a copy of Final Draft screenwriting software, AGBO merch and a Red Bull swag bag [Red Bull Records customized U-Turn Turntable, Custom Speaker, a collection of Vinyl from Red Bull Records, Swell Water Bottle]. Both runners up will receive a new camera from GoPro, a Surface Pro 9 from Microsoft, a copy of DaVinci Resolve Studio from Blackmagic Design, a copy of Final Draft screenwriting software, merch from AGBO and a swag bag from Red Bull.
All three winners will join the AGBO Storytellers Collective, an alumni network of participants from other AGBO fellowship programs. The current members also vote on a Storytellers Collective Award, which this year went to Maxence Cazorla and Godefroy Ryckewaert for their short “Eon’s Echo.”
You can see the full list of winners and honorable mentions from AGBO’s “No Sleep ‘til Film Fest” competition below.
No Sleep ’til Film Fest Winners
First Place
Time of Your Life, directed by Darren Hinchy (Toronto, Canada)
Second Place
Just a Sec!, directed by Tanya Lialina and Teodor Klimov (Georgia, Tbilisi)
Third Place
02:00 Minutes, directed by Grace McLeod (California, USA)
AGBO Storytellers Collective Award
Eon’s Echo, directed by Maxence Cazorla and Godefroy Ryckewaert (Paris, France)
Honorable Mentions
Killing Time, directed by Mike Cerisano (New York, USA)
Ankle Watch, directed by Jeff Robinson (Ontario, Canada)
The Unfortunate Cookie, directed by Faye Tamasa (California, USA)
Turbo Sean, directed by Tommy Heffernan (Washington, USA)
CronoviZion, directed by Anna Dominguez (Ohio, USA)
Quality Time, directed by Jessie Li White and Aliotto della Gherardesca (California, USA)
Coffee Time, directed by Tim Hamilton (Wellington, New Zealand)
Other Inc., directed by Ross McClure (Belfast, Northern Ireland)
Two Lines, directed by Adriana Perra and Roberto Achenza (Sassari, Italy)
Echoes of Silence, directed by Ariya Akhavan (California, USA)
The Curious Case of T.T. Danson, directed by Noah A. Bordelon (California, USA)