After an intensive weekend of filmmaking, local directors, actors and crews gathered Wednesday, Sept. 23, at The Porcupine Theater for Homer’s third annual 48 Hour Film Slam. The slam theme, “Odyssey,” was announced the previous Friday night, and participants had 48 hours to come up with a script and shoot all the footage.

Films had to be completed — film editing, fine tuning of audio and soundtrack — by the Monday evening submission deadline, just 72 hours after the event began.

The incentive of having their film screened the same week in a local theater gives busy people justification for blocking out the weekend to produce a film and keeps filmmakers glued to the process until completion.

“Having a deadline and the expectation that this will be seen by an audience… serves as a catalyst to energize us and to rediscover passion that had been dormant or compartmentalized due to work-life demands,” said filmmaker James Hutchinson.

The practice of producing new short films during an intensive weekend grew out of the Kino short-film movement in Montreal founded in 1999. Just three years later, the 48 Hour Film Project formed in Washington, D.C., and since has gone on to include more than 100 cities and 50,000 filmmakers worldwide each year.

Filmmakers and local theaters can follow the 48 hour film concept without joining the formal project. The concept is simply “stop overthinking and make a movie.” This concept is supported by strict time guidelines and an incentive: produce a short film in 48 hours and have your film screened at a local theater.

Slam participants met at Grace Ridge Brewery Friday evening for orientation and the theme announcement. After “Odyssey” was named, everyone mingled to discuss script ideas and volunteer for roles. After the group dispersed for the night, pressure was on to make the Monday night deadline.

During the weekend scramble for film footage, crews became innovative in an effort to reduce time on set. Disguised actors played multiple characters across multiple scenes, and camera operators shot sequences out of order to reduce clothing and location changes.

Co-directors Frank Holub and Hutchinson found themselves in a pinch after plans fell through for a midday scene featuring a sidewalk and bench. A late night escapade ensued.

“Time wore on, and we couldn’t film the scene until approximately 11 p.m.,” Hutchinson said. “We found a visually interesting spot and planted down a bench.”

That was the beginning of a short bit of filmmaker mayhem.

 “We hadn’t any time to rehearse so it took multiple takes for us to get through the script without, one, flubbing our lines; two, giving bad performances; three, Homer Police or random drivers stopping by to check on these two weirdos on a bench in the middle of the night,” he said. “It was only later during the edit that we discovered virtually all of the audio was unusable.”

Creative block also posed a threat to progress during the weekend. Following the Friday night orientation, director Tamar Hazi confessed, “I stayed up until 3 a.m. with a blank piece of paper.”

However, after sleeping on it, she got right to work and produced the well received “Clownsy INC.”

Actors in the 48 Hour Slam were required to perform a new script with little time to prepare or rehearse.

“Normally I research and memorize my parts,” said actress Deb Rowzee. “This time I just showed up and had fun.”

Despite desperate moments and late nights, the reward of an audience seeing completed films on a big screen provided an undeniable incentive — six brand new short films premiered last Wednesday at the Porcupine Theater.

Show night began with “Clownsy INC.” by director Tamar Hazi. This comedy portrays a clown who grapples with showing up authentically while visiting the IRS office to file taxes.

The second film, “Odie,” by director Aspen Wallie, follows a woman on an outing to the bar where she faces unwanted attention. Coincidentally, she is bombarded with strange coincidences and blunt interruptions surrounding her attempt to take a discreet pregnancy test.

“Q & A” by James Hutchinson and Frank Holub had the audience questioning everything alongside a job seeker who applies for a new position, only to face absurd questions in a series of seemingly endless interviews.

Next up, “Polytropos” by Yair Hazi and friends reveals a man questioning ties to family and former lands as he looks for opportunity in a new, albeit modest, future. Set in the wilds across Kachemak Bay, the film takes on survival aspects and frontier drama.

An archetypal journey takes place in “The White Stone” by director Carl Fuermann. After discovering that the white stones dotting Homer beaches originated hundreds of miles away and, later on, having a dream of a mythical beach creature who would not let humans pass without a white stone, Fuermann naturally incorporated these elements into his short film.

The evening closed with “The Hero’s Journey” by Susannah Webster and Nate Spence Chorman in which the character takes an extended walk leading to a much anticipated destination. Spoiler alert: crows snatch remaining crumbs after a dazzling snarf job.

Filmmaker duo and siblings Tamar and Yair Hazi told Katia Holmes about the first local film slam three years ago, and she has remained in the scene ever since.

This year, Holmes not only acted in multiple films but also served as the show host.

“I love the slam jam, and I love facilitating, emceeing live events, so of course I said yes,” she said.

Michael Selle and Sally Oberstein hosted Homer’s first film slam in September 2023 at Alice’s Champagne Palace. All subsequent film slam screenings been at The Porcupine Theater.