Holly Shorts had the opportunity to catch up with Russ J. Lichterman, co-founder of Insomniac Film Challenge. The competition is one of the most unique opportunities for filmmakers. You make a movie in one weekend. You have 72 hours to write, shoot, edit, and get it in the mail.
HS: How did this initiative begin and who thought of the idea?

RL: The Insomniac Film Challenge was created to give filmmakers a new outlet for creative filmmaking. There are two other big contests with similar rules, but we thought we could provide something new and different, less constraints, less paperwork, more fun. The idea was conceived by myself and Jeff Stoltzfus. We are the co-owners of Super-Nerve Entertainment, LLC, and have competed in these type of competitions in the past. We are filmmakers, first and foremost, and thats what the contest is all about, making films. We heard some complaints from other filmmakers about other contests, and we shared the opinion that there was room for improvement. We felt that we were up to the challenge, thus the Insomniac Film Challenge was born. Our philosophy is simple, make movies, have fun.

HS: How many entries have you received for this year's challenge?
RL: We are up to almost 20 entries, and with the entry deadline on May 15th, we expect several more before the deadline.

HS: Have you had any response from Hollywood on this opportunity for filmmakers?
RL: We have not heard anything from Hollywood yet, but we do have several festivals and screenings interested in showing the top 10 films. Since this is our first year presenting the contest, I suspect we'll be generating even more press after the finished films are available online and for screenings.

HS: Where do you see the challenge in five years?
RL: Our hope is for the Insomniac Film Challenge to get larger and larger, so we can provide the opportunity for as many filmmakers as possible to make a short and get there work out there. We will expand the contest as the interest continues to expand. The bigger and more popular it gets the more people will see the films, and thats what every filmmaker wants. We will present the competition every year, maybe even every 6 months as long as the interest is there.

HS: Anything else you'd like to plug?
RL: I hope any of your readers that are interested will visit www.insomniacfilmchallenge.com and consider participating in this years contest, its going to be a blast. Feel free to contact me at russ@insomniacfilmchallenge.com with questions or comments, or visit our message boards.
Also, Super-Nerve Entertainment, LLC is in Pre-Production on our next feature length film "Victim's Song" beginning principle photography in August 2005. Visit www.super-nerve.com for details. Super-Nerve Entertainment, LLC is the presenter of the Insomniac Film Challenge.

Holly Shorts Ent.