WATCH: Red carpet awards bash in Southsea celebrates films made in just 48 hours

CREATORS united in Portsmouth for an awards ceremony celebrating films made in a 48-hour window.
Visitors dressed up in ghoulish outfits 
Picture: Aaliyah YaqubVisitors dressed up in ghoulish outfits 
Picture: Aaliyah Yaqub
Visitors dressed up in ghoulish outfits Picture: Aaliyah Yaqub

Scores of filmmakers flocked to the Wedgewood Rooms in Southsea on Saturday for the 14th DV Mission awards.

The fixture saw teams of filmmakers from across the UK face off in an Oscars-style contest, after submitting two-minute films just a week before they were given the red-carpet treatment.

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Each short featured at the event was completely shot, edited and submitted in the 48 hours between March 9 and 11 – after contestants were given a title and so-called ‘obstructions’ to include in their work.

Visitors dressed up in ghoulish outfits 
Picture: Aaliyah YaqubVisitors dressed up in ghoulish outfits 
Picture: Aaliyah Yaqub
Visitors dressed up in ghoulish outfits Picture: Aaliyah Yaqub

Every team, of the 31 who took part, had to adopt the title ‘Night Dreams’ – including the dialogue ‘we all go a little mad sometimes... haven’t you?’ – in the genre of Zom Rom Com (zombie romantic comedy).

And by the deadline, 26 had crossed the finish line – including four eventual winners from Portsmouth.

Alex Gambs directed and edited for eight-piece Smart Fox Films from Portsmouth, whose Night Dreams production sealed the quirky ‘most surprising prop’ award.

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The 19-year-old said: ‘The mission was rather stressful but it was such good fun to take part in.

Visitors dressed up in ghoulish outfits 
Picture: Aaliyah YaqubVisitors dressed up in ghoulish outfits 
Picture: Aaliyah Yaqub
Visitors dressed up in ghoulish outfits Picture: Aaliyah Yaqub

‘The prop which won us our award was a pair of dentures – we figured zombies can’t infect other people if they don’t have teeth.

‘So we focused our film around and an old man who goes on a killing spree after a nursing home is hit by the zombie apocalypse.

‘I only got about two hours sleep over the two-day period we had to make it, but it was worth it in the end.’

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Other winners from Portsmouth were Worcester Massive, who won best non-professional film, Sanded Down Films, who won best editing and Team Sallet, who won the Spirit of DV Mission award.

Other contestants came from UK spots including Southampton, Andover, Dartford and Birmingham.

THE FULL LIST OF WINNERS

BEST FILM (PRO): THE ANIMUS WORKSHOP

Nominations: Red Book Films, Three Bus Stops Outside Shirley, DJ Films.

(SOUTHAMPTON)

Rupert Aspden, James Elkin, Rebecca Elkin

BEST FILM (NON-PRO): WORCESTER MASSIVE

Nominations: Familiar Stranger, Team CCP.

(PORTSMOUTH) A local team who have been taking part of close to ten years! Who describe

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themselves as an eclectic collection of hedonists, who love to make films. Badly.

Mel Boxall

BEST ACTOR: RED BROOK PRODUCTIONS

Nominations: DJ Films, Sanded Down Films, Trash Arts.

(ANDOVER)

Scott Northway, Mark Harman

BEST ACTRESS: THE ANIMUS WORKSHOP (Rebecca Elkin)

Nominations: Familiar Stranger, Team CCP, Three Bus Stops Outside Shirley.

(SOUTHAMTON)

Rupert Aspden, James Elkin, Rebecca Elkin

MOST CINEMATIC MOMENT: AMS

Nominations: Team CCP, Three Bus Stops Outside Shirley, Worcester Massive, DJ Films.

(DARTFORD)

Stephanie Kopchaliiska, Alina Panarina, Mason Wright.

BEST SOUND DESIGN: THE AVENUE

Nominations: Emu & Co, Mad Dogs, The Animus Workshop.

BEST EDITING: SANDED DOWN FILMS

Nominations: Red Book Productions, Solent Survivors, The Animus Workshop.

(PORTSMOUTH) - UoP team

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Joe Stringer, James Reilly (plus cast: Jaspar Cumiskey, Beth Cook, Oliver Mills).

MOST SURPRISING PROP: SMART FOX FILMS

Nominations: Team Sallet, Truth at 88mph, Worcester Massive.

(PORTSMOUTH)

Alex Gambs, Olivia Morrison, Zac Ajudani (plus cast: Pau O'Hanlon, Kevin Rimmigton, Zac

Ajudani, Josh Leigh, Olivia Morrison).

MOST ASTONISHING SPECIAL EFFECTS: THE ANIMUS WORKSHOP

Nominations: Familiar Stranger, Showstoppers, Three Bus Stops Outside Shirley.

(SOUTHAMPTON)

Rupert Aspden, James Elkin, Rebecca Elkin.

BEST STORY: RED BROOK PRODUCTIONS

Nominations: DJ Films, Mad Dogs, The Animus Workshop.

(SOUTHAMTON)

Scott Northway, Mark Harman.

AUDIENCE RAVED ABOUT IT: THREE BUS STOPS OUTSIDE SHIRLEY

(SOUTHAMPTON)

Ben Grace, Rachel Stephens, James Crawford

SPIRIT OF DVMISSION: TEAM SALLET

(PORTSMOUTH)

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Dean Boswell, Tom Cotchin, Jessica Gates, Sam Hunt, Brett Caswell (plus cast: Gemma Long,

John Burns, Greg Nithsdale, Francesca Trueman).

BEST SOCIAL MEDIA: SHOWSTOPPERS

(BIRMINGHAM)

Richard Smerdon, Charles Murray, Dom Jaswal (plus cast: Sam Rhodes, Rupert Winter-

Moore).