THE SCI-FI-LONDON 48 HOUR

FILM

CHALLENGE

NEXT CHALLENGE: 26 - 28 APRIL 2025

The members of the 2025 Jury are confirmed:

photo of irem coucheron - juror for the sci-fi-london 48hr challenge 2025

IREM COUCHOURON

PROGRAMMER, EVENT PRODUCER, SILBERSALZ
Irem is the Programme Director at the SILBERSALZ Science and media Festival, in Halle (Saale) Germany, The 5-day event unites audiences around current science, technology, environment and social issues through film screenings, performances, immersive art works, debates and literature. The festival brings the public in direct conversation with thinkers, creators, scientists and researchers together, providing a neutral ground to engage with future ideas, opening new perspectives and interact with science as part of everyday life.

photo of jonathan weissler juror for the sci-fi-london 48hr challenge 2025

JONATHAN WEISSLER

PRODUCER
Jonathan is a Film Producer with more than 25 years experience having made 24 feature films and over 500 Commercials. With a bulging passport, Jonathan has shot in myriad countries, working with the likes of Tony Kaye and other giants of commercials He is involved in several Film Funds and advises investors on financing structures, diligence protocols and production pipeline management. He is always looking for interesting collaborations. I am keen to hear from filmmakers, financiers and distributors.

brian bovell as jemboc in Andor

BRIAN BOVELL

ACTOR
Brian is a regular face on British television, he has starred in many film roles, and is a massive sci-fi fan. Having played roles in ANDOR, FOUNDATION, and SILO, he is no strange to the genre. He has followed the 48hr challenge for many years, and appears in TIME TRAVEL IS DANGEROUS, a feature built on a #SFL48HR film.

ADRIAN Tchaikovsky

MULTI-AWARD WINNING AUTHOR
Adrian was born in Lincolnshire and studied zoology and psychology at Reading before becoming a professional author in 2007. He is a keen role-player and board gamer and is trained in stage-fighting. Adrian primarily explores deep themes, such as artificial intelligence and alien awareness within epic galactic and fantastical settings. He has a deep interest in the animal world specifically insects from his studies in Zoology and has a particular penchant for spiders.

NADINA BOERSMA

LUNAR EXPERT
Nadine leads the Lunar Resources and Infrastructure team at the European Space Agency in Noordwijk, Netherlands. With over 20 years of experience in space development, Nadine has been Instrumental in creating scientific payloads and equipment for the International Space Station, the Lunar Gateway Space Station, and lunar missions. Currently, she and her team are planning Europe's next advancements in lunar exploration and sustainable resource utilization.

photo of gavin rothery - juror for the sci-fi-london 48hr challenge 2025

GAVIN ROTHERY

DIRECTOR, DESIGNER
Gavin Rothery is a British director, screenwriter and designer. He wrote and directed the 2020 science fiction film Archive and was the conceptual designer and co-creator of the 2009 film Moon.
A parallel career as concept artist/designer in the games industry has seen him working on titles such as Grand Theft Auto, Nintendo's Battalion Wars and most recently designing star-ships for the MMO game, Star Citizen."

NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE - TIME TRAVEL IS DANGEROUS, OUT 28 MARCH.

UNREASON BY CHRIS READING, MADE FOR THE SFL 48HR FILM CHALLENGE

Released on 28 March 2025  Time Travel Is Dangerous is a wildly entertaining sci-fi comedy with sharp humour, clever twists, and a fantastic cast. Directed by Chris Reading, the film is based on his original short, which was created for the SCI-FI-LONDON 48-Hour Film Challenge, our film competition that is known for producing innovative and imaginative short films in a weekend!

Time Travel Is Dangerous is coming to UK cinemas from 28th March

1st place winner 2024

PARALLEL BY TEAM PINGUS

2ND place winner 2024

RAPIER’S FOLLY BY TEAM COBRA WOLF

3RD place winner 2024

A SMALL DETOUR BY TEAM BIG TENT

BELOW ARE THE WINNING FILMS FOR THE 2023 CHALLENGE

1ST PLACE

2ND PLACE

3RD PLACE

#sfl48hr

Back in 2019, when we could meet and party, the 48hr awards were held at Stratford Picturehouse – check out this video chat with the 2019 winners.   

Check out Gareth Edwards’ take on the 48-hour and how his career changed gear.

From a 5min short to Star Wars!

get involved...

~SFL48hr

What did you do this weekend?

There is no better thing you can do than take part in a 48hr challenge, ‘cos the worst that can happen is you’ll have made a film by Monday!

What happens once you enter?

At 11am (UK time) on challenge day 1,  we will give you the TITLE of the film you will make, a PROP list,  a line of DIALOGUE and an optional IDEA/THEME.  You then have until Monday to WRITE, SHOOT and DELIVER your complete 5-minute film.

Some of our favourites from over 15 years of the challenge.