Holly Buchanan Contributing Writer

Local filmmakers and actors gathered at Urban Grace church to view their films in the 2014, 72-hour film competition, hosted by The Grand Cinema.

The Grand Cinema is a non-profit theatre that hosts film festivals every year to help filmmakers get recognized.

Tacoma filmmakers gathered at the Grand two weeks ago to get the criteria for the four and a half minute film they would be challenged to produce in three days.

Each film was required to include four things, an action: countdown, a prop: duct tape, dialogue: “I love it when you do that”, and staging: product placement.

25 teams put together their films and created 26 short films. The shorts had a variety of emotions. Some were funny, like short titled “Astronave” which was about a group of Star Trek like characters that had their space ship broken into by a duct tape mummy, all while in a Spanish dialogue with a soap opera theme. And others were more serious like a film titled, “One,” which was about a boy who committed suicide after having a falling-out with his girlfriend.

This film competition brought it people who have been making films all their lives and people who just started. Ian Price, a self-taught filmmaker since the age of 17, produced ‘One.’

Sage Balcom, Price’s son was an acted for his first time in his dad’s short. “I’m most proud of my son’s acting,” Price said. The toughest part of making a film in 72 hours according to Price, is writing it, shooting it, and editing it.

Pierce College Alumni Michael Riffle was also a part of the film competition. Riffle graduated in the class of 1998 in arts and sciences. Riffle had a role of the confused boyfriend who was trying to understand his girlfriend’s needs. Riffle started acting in 2005 and urges students to “love their craft and do quality work.” He acted in the short ‘Glass Castle.’ “This is a slice of life, predominantly about men who have been in a relationship that didn’t make sense,” said Joseph Santwan the filmmaker of Glass Castle.

After about two and a half hours of watching the film shorts the executive director of the Grand Cinema, Philip Cowan announced the winner of the competition, ‘Astronave.’ Which was a hilarious film that had the whole audience in laughter.

Amber Celletti and Nathan Blanchford were the two filmmakers that created ‘Astronave’ and recently got their next film ‘The village of Middlevale’ paid for via Kickstarter.

The Grand Cinema has film festivals and competitions all year long and also provides film camp for those who are interested in learning more about the art.