72 Film Fest 2026 – FRIDAY
Lights. Camera. Chaos! Or should we say…FUN!
The annual 72 Film Fest returns to the Weinberg Center for Year 21, and the pressure is still the same: teams of filmmakers have just 72 hours to write, shoot, and edit a complete short film from scratch. The theme and criteria aren’t revealed until the Launch Party.
Creativity meets a ticking clock, and the results are always impressive, hilarious, moving, and completely unpredictable.
The Year 21 Theme: Risk vs. Reward. The only pre-launch hint was “21,” but on October 1st, the theme was revealed. Each team had to include both Risk Plot Points and Reward Plot Points, with the exact number of each determined by a series of games of chance and skill played at the Launch Party. Lose a game, and they picked up a random plot point. Win one and they could choose their own.
All entries premiere Friday night at the Weinberg Center. Finalists and award winners then screen again for the Saturday Night Main Event, followed by the awards ceremony. Join us Saturday during the day for two exciting screenings: the first, some selections of short films from the SilverVox Film+Music Festival from earlier this year including short discussion with filmmakers, and the second – the Frederick Premiere of LEDA followed by a Q&A with director Samuel Tressler IV.
Give some love to the incredibly talented folks right here in Frederick, and beyond! From first-time filmmakers and students to seasoned pros, come out and cheer on your favorites.