48 hours for a film? Why not?

Liz Langston is the co-founder of the 48 Hour Film Project.

For the seventh year, the 48 Hour Film Project returns to the Duke City on July 13-15. The annual project draws plenty of New Mexico filmmakers, and this year there is something extra for the winner — a possible $5,000 developmental deal with cable network truTV.

“This is a great opportunity for filmmakers in New Mexico,” says Liz Langston, the executive producer of the project. “I think it’s going to bring out some heavy competition among the filmmakers.”

The other cities chosen for the project are Denver, Des Moines, Iowa, Richmond, Va., and Detroit.

Langston, who co-founded the project 11 years ago in Washington, D.C., says that the project already is having a banner year with the number of entrants.

“We’re currently up to 43 teams and I’ve already had to make four screening groups,” she says. “But there’s still time for more teams to join and get into the competition.”

The 48 Hour Film Project is a contest in which teams of filmmakers are assigned a genre, a character, a prop and a line of dialogue, and have 48 hours to create a short film containing those elements. Each team is made up of about 15 members, who have to write, edit and score the short film.

Shortly after the 48 hours of filmmaking, the films from each city are then screened at a theater in that city.

Langston says the project is in 121 cities across the world and she would eventually like to expand to all continents.

“Every year we add new cities,” she says. “It gives us the opportunity to see how films are made all over the world and feel connected.”

Langston now acts as the executive producer, but she participated in the first filmmaking session.

“When I was on that team, we were filming on a roof and had the police called on us,” she says. “After all the hoopla, we almost forgot to include the line and we threw it in at the last minute.”

So why would filmmakers put this kind of pressure on them? Langston says simply, “It’s a lot of fun.”

“Sure, you don’t sleep very much,” she says. “But what’s funnier than your friends sleep deprived? There’s also the aspect of being with friends and creating a film. There are a lot of filmmakers who start films but don’t finish them. In order to get judged in the competition, the film has to be complete.”

The Albuquerque films will screen at the KiMo Theatre on July 29.

“As a filmmaker, you always want your film to be seen by as many people as possible,” she says. “But there’s also the feeling of seeing your film on a big screen. It’s quite indescribable.”

For more information on the project, visit www.48hourfilm.com/albuquerque.

‘Dark Knight’ in Duke City: Holy smokes, Batman! Albuquerque residents will get a chance to see some of the Dark Knight’s vehicles when the Tumbler and the Bat-Pod will make a stop from 2-3 p.m. today at Astro-Zombies Comics, 3100 E. Central. The event is free.

If you are needing more of a “Dark Knight Rises” fix, there is a website, www.dewgothamcity.com, that has never-before-seen content about the film. The site hosts four immersive environments, each of which features interactive activities and exclusive movie content. This content, including video and materials written in the voice of the characters, will continue to roll out over the next two weeks and was overseen by “Dark Knight” filmmakers to ensure their authenticity to the trilogy.

SEND ME YOUR TIPS: If you know of a movie filming in the state, or are curious about one, email film@ABQjournal.com. Follow me on Twitter at @agomezART.