48 HOUR FILM PROJECT: CRITIQUE
There’s nothing quite like the adrenaline rush of creating a film from scratch in just two days. This year, I had the incredible opportunity to join a talented team for the 2025 Jacksonville 48 Hour Film Project — a competition where filmmakers have only one weekend to write, shoot, and edit an original short film.
I was invited to serve as one of the writers on our team, working closely with our director and creative crew to craft the story that would become Critique — a tense psychological drama that explores ego, art, and the power of words.
The process began with a flurry of brainstorming once we received our assigned elements — the required character, prop, and line of dialogue that every team must incorporate. Our story started under the working title A Taste of Murder, a darkly humorous idea that quickly evolved into something deeper and more emotionally charged.
In just three hours, we built the script: dialogue, structure, character arcs, and all. It was intense, exhilarating, and at times overwhelming. Ideas collided, emotions ran high, and somehow, through the chaos, a story found its shape.
The writing process was a wild mix of difficulty and discovery — challenging, emotional, and deeply collaborative. There were moments of frustration and laughter, of debate and breakthrough. But when we finally typed FADE OUT, we knew we had something special.
Critique tells the story of a desperate chef whose restaurant is destroyed by a viral review — and the young food critic who becomes his hostage. What begins as revenge spirals into a brutal confrontation about truth, pride, and the cost of creative expression.
It’s a story about the tension between art and criticism, between those who create and those who judge — and how easily passion can turn into obsession.
When the film premiered, I was honored and humbled to be nominated for Best Writer — a recognition that means the world after such a whirlwind creative process. Writing under that kind of pressure forces you to trust your instincts, your collaborators, and your voice.
The 48 Hour Film Project reminded me that storytelling doesn’t always need time to simmer. Sometimes, it needs a spark, a deadline, and a team willing to chase an idea into the unknown.
