Over the weekend of Feb. 6-8, Bellevue College Filmmaking Club (BCFC) competed with 48 college teams across the United States to write, film and edit a 7-minute short film for The College 48 Hour Film Project.
“Off-Beat” is the first 48 Hour Film Project I have taken part in, though BCFC has been entering this competition for the past four years. This quarter’s 48 Hour film stands as the club’s highest-achieving short film to date.
As the results came in, our team won Best Lead Actor, Best Production Design and received second place for Best Picture. Additionally, we were nominated for Best Directing and Best Cinematography. These notable achievements have led the film to be screened at Filmapalooza 2026 in Lisbon, Portugal.
The 48 Hour contest kicked off on Friday; teams learned the required elements to include in the film, then the writing process began. The organization assigned a genre, prop, character and line that must be incorporated. Our group was given Drama for genre, flowers for prop, a character named Eddie Roundtree and the line “don’t remind me.” These elements are a way for judges to confirm that the film was made in only 48 hours.
Our team of ten Bellevue College students joined together in a local Airbnb, to use both as the setting of the film and for the team to collaborate. On Friday night, the team waited in anticipation to learn our given prompts. We each contributed to the story of the film, and once that was established, my fellow writers and I began the task of forming the script. The finalized version was studied by actors all night, while the director of photography made up the shot list.
We began shooting early in the morning on Saturday, with minor breaks in between, wrapping at 5 am on Sunday morning. From then, our editor spent the final hours leading up to the submission deadline to compose the shots into a seamless product.
“Off-Beat” follows the story of a couple, Xandra and Sebastian, who experience trouble in paradise after an encounter with a celebrity crush. Jealousy, anger and sorrow are the major emotions conveyed throughout the film, describing the heartache between these two characters.
The film begins with the couple walking outside in the rain after a concert, just seeing Xandra’s favorite band. Sebastian lives in his own world, withholding from sharing his umbrella with Xandra and failing to notice when she walks away from him. Problems ensue when Xandra begins a conversation with the guitarist of the band and shares his umbrella, while Sebastian’s jealousy gets the best of him. An argument heats up when Xandra’s moment with her idol is ruined by her boyfriend.
This scene specifically brought our team recognition for Best Production Design. Filmed outside of the Showbox SODO in Seattle, our focus on colored lights, street signs, reflection of rain and the use of umbrellas were factored into the win.
The two lead actors of “Off-Beat,” Fungus Quinn and Gregg Shine, had not met prior to the competition, yet their on-screen chemistry was undeniable. The two worked diligently in delivering lines with immense feeling, creating a convincingly problematic relationship.
Quinn’s concentrated performance led her to be honored as Best Lead Actor. The judges recognized her powerful ability to shift emotions. The opening scene portrayed the actress elated through her skillful tone and expression. Later, during an argument scene, Quinn’s capability of shifting into anger and disbelief truly made her stand out. In the final scene, Quinn displayed remarkable talent in conveying misery, seemingly on the verge of tears. It is without a doubt that this award is well deserved.
Between writing, directing, producing, acting and editing, each member of the BCFC team spent sleepless nights putting their hearts into the making of “Off-Beat.” My first time competing in the 48 Hour Project was an experience that I’ll never forget. Although our team faced plenty of adversity in the process, I am confident that we created a story that will speak to generations.
