For the second time in its history, Villanova Television (VTV) held its annual 48 Hour Film Challenge this past weekend. The rules were simple: each group must make a film within 48 hours that follows a given prompt. 

This year’s prompt was that each group must incorporate the line “that’s what they want you to think” and must use a lamp as a prop. The contest began at 4:00 p.m. on Friday, March 5 and ended at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday March 7. Later in the day on March 7, around 8:30 p.m., VTV members had the opportunity to watch these films in an auditorium in Driscoll Hall. Six films competed in the challenge this year, all of which were comedies.

“Bathroom Break” was made by sophomores A.J. Fezza, Matthew Gaetano and Jake Saunders. In this film, Gaetano asks Saunders, his roommate, to come with him to get dinner. Saunders agrees, but has to use the bathroom first. Gaetano then waits for hours for Saunders to leave the bathroom, as the film descends into absurdity. 

“Mother: Remastered” was made by Hunter Dickson and Rebecca Finke. This film was basically a carbon copy of their film “Mother” from last year’s 48 Hour Film Challenge, except with the line “that’s what they want you to think” edited in. In “Mother: Remastered,” Villanova students role-played as members of a family as practice to increase their social skills.

“Silence of the JLambs” was made by freshmen Joe Adams, Lexi Brenner, Ashton Rodriguez, Margaux Snow, Brendan Tierney and Sarah Ager. The film centers around Adams, who is making a YouTube series about suspected murders in Tolentine Hall. 

“The Hunt” was made by Taryn Twohig, Audrey Agnew, Chris Witte and Lillie Parks. The film follows Twohig, Agnew and Witte’s characters as they plan a search for Bigfoot, played by Parks. However, none of the characters were looking for Bigfoot for the same reasons. One was searching for research purposes, one was out to kill Bigfoot, and one wanted Bigfoot as a romantic partner.

“In(ter)ception” was made by Miguel Badia, Brad Wohlleber, Sean Evans, Patrick Lyons, Ally Weitzman and Kaitlyn Mulcahy. Badia and Wohlleber starred as time-travelling Men in Black-style agents on the search for the Ranchium Generator, an item which can generate immense amounts of energy and powers a weapon of mass destruction. They must retrieve the Ranchium Generator in order to prevent the Mars colonies from being destroyed in the future. 

Finally, “Arkansas Rodgers and the Catacombs of the Sixth Mambo” was made by seniors  Zach Mann, Eric Kirchner and Kerry Kitrick. This spoof of the Indiana Jones franchise follows Arkansas Rodgers on his mission to retrieve a copy of Mambo No. 5 from a Nazi vampire, so that the vampire can’t use it to destroy the world. 

The judges of the competition were seniors Andrew Mister, Claire Roberts and Trevor Yandow. 

Ultimately, the winner was “The Hunt.” The prize for winning was a ceiling tile at VTV’s studio in the basement of Tolentine Hall. The tile will be painted with the title “The Hunt” and adorned with related imagery, and will earn a permanent place in the studio, alongside last year’s 48 Hour Challenge-winning film “Spoons Out.”

Now, with the 48 Hour Film Challenge having come to a close, all attention is turned to an even more important contest: The Villys. This contest, co-sponsored by the Campus Activities (CAT) and set to take place on Apr. 23, is VTV’s first film festival. It is open to all University students. 

The Villanovan spoke to VTV News Director Miguel Badia for his thoughts on the 48 Hour Film Challenge and The Villys.

“I can’t wait for The Villys because I’m so excited to have the opportunity to make my own film and showcase it to the whole school,” Badia said. “And this time, unlike with 48 Hours, I can actually take all the time I need to make it.”

You can watch “The Hunt,” the winning film of this year’s 48 Hour Film Challenge, on VTV’s YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPQdCNLKXoo