"The hipsters and geeks milling expectantly in the dim lounge reach one by one into a hat. The slip of paper they pull out holds not only the theme for their weekend but, possibly, a chance to earn some celluloid swagger.

Superhero. Fantasy. Drama. Romance. Each of the 50-some teams competing in Baltimore's 48 Hour Film Project randomly pulls a genre with the expectation that the team members will return 48 hours later, short movie in hand."