What began as a friendly competition among a handful of Washington, D.C., filmmakers in 2001 has since resulted in at least 25,000 short film submissions from across the globe. And the 48 Hour Film Project is just as masochistic as it sounds, calling upon teams of amateurs and professionals alike to write, shoot, edit and score a short film in the span of one frenzied weekend. Participants must also incorporate an assigned character, prop, line of dialogue and genre in case the time crunch wasn’t enough of a hurdle. The payoff for this year’s sleepless local filmmakers is your attendance (yes you, dear reader!) at the videos’ official screenings at Asheville Pizza and Brewing Co. on Tuesday, June 23, through Thursday, June 25, at 7 and 10 each night. $7 per session. 48hourfilm.com/asheville. Photo of 2014 participant Gregory Herman by Erica Mueller
Smart bets: 48 Hour Film Project screenings

Be sure to catch Xpress’ on-the-scene coverage this weekend as Amber McGilvary follows the ups and downs of one Asheville team over the course of their 48-hour adventure.