Contest overview

48/5 Reel River Rush 2025!

Frozen river Film Festival’s 48/5 Filmmaking contest

The 48/5 Reel River Rush is a fast-paced filmmaking contest hosted by FRFF, where teams have just 48 hours to plan, write, shoot, and edit a 5-minute film. Once all films are submitted, we’ll host a special screening event to showcase every entry. After the screenings, our panel of judges will announce the three winning teams.

Contest Dates & Details:

Team Registrations -

Team registrations are now open! (Scroll down to register.)

Registration Closes - August 7th, 2025 (or until all team slots are taken)

Registration Fee - $35 (per team)

  • No limit to size of team.

  • Open to filmmakers of all ages and experiences!

  • Spots are limited—only 20 teams can enter!

Contest Dates:

Contest Dates: August 8th - August 10th, 2025

Contest Kick-Off Event: Friday August 8th, @2:30pm

Venue: Winona Arts Center (228 E 5th St, Winona MN 55987)

Filmmaking Creation Starts: August 8th, @4:00pm

Submission Deadline: Films are due no later than August 10th, @4:00pm

Films Screening Event: August 10th @5:00pm

Venue: Winona Middle School (1570 Homer Rd, Winona MN 55987)

Awards Ceremony: Following the screening event (around 7:00pm).

A GLimpse into Contest Weekend:

  • Contest kick-off day! Teams will start preparing their scripts and plan out shooting.


    Contest Kick-off Event:

    All teams must have at least one person attend the contest kick-off event. At the contest kick-off, you will learn the following:

    • Contest Information - This includes the contest rules, film submission information, and answering any questions competitors may have.

    • Required Elements - We will reveal the required line of dialogue that every team must include in their film. Teams will also draw for their film’s required genre .

    Advice from FRFF: We recommend only sending one team member to the kick-off event, this is so that the rest of the team will be able to start planning for their film and prepare food for the long night ahead.

  • It’s the first full filming day! Teams can also start editing the film. 

    Filming:

    Your team should have the storyline and scripts prepared. Teams will go to their desired filming locations and start shooting! 

    Advice from FRFF: Consider limiting the amount of locations you plan to use for filming. Time is limited and moving from location to location will take up precious time that could be used for getting a second shot or editing.

    Editing: 

    Teams will also be able to start editing footage for their films! As footage starts rolling in, most teams will go ahead and start editing the footage. 

    Advice from FRFF: Consider having the member in charge of editing stay at your teams base. This will make the editing process alot easier since the editor will be able to work on editing the film as footage comes in.

  • It’s time for film submissions and the grand screening! This is the day where all the footage will come together in a final product. Teams should be finished shooting footage for their film, and will shift their focus to the post-production side of filmmaking. 


    Post Production:

    After a long night of editing, the team will work on the finishing touches of the film. This would include the director giving their final comments for editing, adding a soundtrack, and creating a credits roll.

    Submitting Films:

    Teams will need to submit their film by the submission deadline. When submitting you will be also asked to include a wrap-up summary. In the wrap-up summary you will write a brief summary of your filmmaking process and your team’s experience participating in the contest. (We want it all! The good, the bad, the ugly)

    Contest Paperwork:

    Alongside your film, your team will be required to submit all the paperwork for the contest. This includes the waiver and release forms, music release form, etc.


    The Grand Screening & Awards Ceremony-

    Congrats! Your team finished and submitted the film! Now you are able to rest and enjoy the final product with the community! 

    Your team will get the opportunity to see your finished film on the big screen! This screening event will be open to the community, so make sure to invite your friends and family to attend and celebrate all the hard work you and your team put in over the chaotic weekend. Once all the films have been screened, we will then announce the three winners of the contest.

Contest Rules

Film Requirements -

Film Length: 4-6 minutes (including credits)

Genres: All films must include the required genre that was drawn for your team. Teams are able to fuse two genres, as long as the required genre is clearly represented in the final film.

Elements: All films must include the required element(s) drawn for your team. The required elements will be a line of dialogue that every film will use and a required genre that will be drawn at the kick-off event. The line of dialogue will be revealed at the contest kick-off event.

Originality: All films must be completely original. Use of AI is prohibited. All footage has to be created within the 48 hr time window.

Title Slide: All films must include a title slide that will include the film’s name, required genre, any trigger/flash warnings (if needed), and “This film was created for FRFF’s 48/5 Reel River Rush”

Credits: All films must include a credit sequence, giving credit to all team members who worked on the film and for music used in the film (if needed).

Submissions Guidelines -

Films must be submitted no later than 4:00pm on Sunday August 10th, 2025. Films submitted after the deadline will be no longer accepted. 

Teams are required fill out and complete the required paperwork when submitting the film. All required paperwork will be available on the 48/5 documents page. Your team captain will receive a paperwork checklist before the contest to help track that you completed all the required paperwork.

Awards & Judging Criteria -

After all the films have been screened, three awards will be presented to recognize exceptional creativity and execution under pressure.

Award Categories -

Best Use of Dialogue -

Awarded to the film that most effectively incorporates the required line of dialogue (provided at the start of the contest) in a creative, impactful, or unexpected way. Judges will look for originality, integration into the story, and how naturally the dialogue fits within the film's tone and context.

Best Use of Genre -

This award recognizes the team that makes the most creative and effective use of their assigned genre. Whether they embrace the genre’s core elements, put a fresh spin on familiar tropes, or cleverly fuse it with others, this award celebrates how well the genre shapes the film’s storytelling, tone, and overall impact. The winning team demonstrates a clear understanding of the genre and uses it to elevate their narrative in inventive and memorable ways.

Judges Choice -

This is the overall top film selected by the judges, based on a combination of storytelling, technical execution, originality, and emotional or artistic impact. This award recognizes the film that stands out as the most complete and compelling work produced within the 48-hour window.

Judging Process & Criteria -

A panel of three judges with experience in filmmaking, writing, or film critique will view and score all submitted films. Each judge will evaluate entries independently and then participate in a group discussion to determine the winners.

Judges will be judging the films based off the following criteria:

  • Storytelling (Is the narrative clear, engaging, and well-structured?)

  • Creativity (Does the film bring something fresh or unexpected to the table?)

  • Technical Execution (Quality of cinematography, editing, sound, and overall production value.)

  • Use of required elements (How well are the assigned elements (e.g. dialogue) integrated?)

  • Performance (Are the acting performances believable and compelling?)

  • Overall Impact (Does the film leave a lasting impression or evoke a strong emotional response?)

Note: While technical perfection is not expected, creative use of limited resources will be highly valued.

Rules & Disqualifications -

  • All films must be completed within the designated 48-hour competition window.

  • Late submissions or incomplete entry forms may result in disqualification.

  • Plagiarism or use of copyrighted material without proper authorization is strictly prohibited and grounds for disqualification.

  • Teams may be asked to provide documentation verifying their production timeline if questions arise.

  • Use of AI-generated content (e.g., scripts, visuals, or voiceovers) is not allowed.

  • Films must not contain profanity, graphic violence, or any form of explicit content.

  • Music used in films must be royalty-free or fully licensed. Unauthorized use of copyrighted music will result in disqualification.

Register your team now!

Team Registration - 48/5 Reel River Rush
$35.00