“We smashed all of our previous records,” said Professor Mark Volkers, one of the organizers of the event. “We’ve never broken 30.” This year, the challenge had 36 teams sign up and 32 teams actually finish the competition. Not every team completes the competition, while some get disqualified along the way.

The challenge is in its seventh year. “It’s grown each year, which we’re really thankful for. We never know year-to-year what’s going to happen,” said Volkers.

A 480-hour challenge was introduced as a part of this year’s event. It allowed teams to spend 20 days on a film rather than two days. It began on December 31 and ended on January 19.

“We’ve never done the 480-hour challenge before. I was expecting one or two teams and we ended up with six,” said Volkers. Those films will be shown along with the 48-hour films on Friday, February 15. The showings begin at 5:45 p.m. in different venues across campus. The awards ceremony starts at 8 p.m in BJ Haan Auditiorium. This year, there will be an award for Best of Show in the high school division, the college division, and the post-college division. There will also be an award added for Best of Show in the 480-hour challenge. There is a full schedule of events at dordt.edu/filmchallenge.

“It’s free, it’s fun, it’s family friendly, and it’s open to the public,” said Volkers. “It’s a celebration of the visual arts. It’s an opportunity for pros and first-timers to get involved. Whether you made a film or not, it’s a lot of fun to get out, roam around campus, and see what people created in 48 hours.”

Following the awards ceremony, there will be an after-party in 55th Avenue. Everyone is invited to come and enjoy food, drinks, and good music.

Lauren Volkers, Staff Writer