The 3rd annual Film Racing Tour (www.filmracing.com is inviting filmmakers of all levels of experience to challenge their creative comfort zones by writing, shooting, and editing an original film in just 24 hours. The 2009 tour, kicking off in New York on March 27th, will be visiting 20 cities across North America and giving aspiring filmmakers the chance to have their work premiere on the big screen and compete for thousands in cash and prizes.
For each city on the 2009 tour, filmmakers are e-mailed a theme (such as revenge or greed) and surprise element (such as a prop or an action that must be performed in the film) at 10PM on a Friday night. The filmmakers, who may work in teams, then have 24 hours to create an original short film no longer than 4 minutes and submit their finished film at a designated drop-off location by the 10PM deadline the next evening. All of the completed films premiere on the big screen at a local theater a few days later and the top films from each city compete online for thousands in cash and prizes.

Film Racing is operated by NYC Midnight Movie Making Madness, LLC, an organization that has been holding unique film competitions since 2002. Since launching the Film Racing Tour in 2007, NYC Midnight has awarded over $120,000 in cash and prizes. “It’s very important for us to provide our top filmmakers with the prizes and exposure to help them take their career goals to the next level,” says competition director, Charlie Weisman. “In addition to the prizes, Film Racing presents anyone who ever wanted to make a film the opportunity to go through the entire process overnight, and be rewarded with the unbeatable experience of seeing an audience react to their work on the big screen.” he said. “With digital technology, creative minds and a little inspiration, anything is possible. Even in 24 hours.”

The 2009 Film Racing Tour will be visiting Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Brooklyn, Calgary, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, Montreal, New York City, Philadelphia, Portland, San Francisco, Seattle, St. Louis, Toronto, Vancouver and Washington, DC. The early entry fee is US$95 per team and space is limited in each city. Visit the official competition website at www.filmracing.com to register, learn more, and watch winning films from past events. Interested teams can also enter the discount code "FILMRACER" to receive $10 off the entry fee.