About

Back in 2001 a man had  a dream: Challenge people to spend the month of April making short films and embracing the spirit of uncritical invention. At the end of those 30 days, everyone would gather at The Black Tie Gala and Film Screening to watch the films together on the big screen. And laugh. The rules were simple: 30 days, 3 minutes or less. The 3/4 Film Festival was born. The VHS tapes poured in. A warehouse in Oakland was filled with chairs and art and beer and popcorn. A good samaritan showed up with a car load of equipment to project the films. There were sound pieces and animations and dramas and comedies. There was a lot of laughing. And formal wear. There was voting and there were winners. Everyone who made a movie got to experience the feeling of creative accomplishment. Everyone who didn’t wanted to do it next year. But, alas, the man’s heart belonged to another 30-day project and there was no next year. A friend had a vision for a new film and begged him to put on another show. The man told her to put on the show herself. And eventually she did. The three-minute filmmaking and laughing continued and the festival morphed into the Three-Minute Film Festival and then The Three-Minute Picture Show. Though the entries now arrive via the internet and can be watched on You-Tube, we will continue to accept  30 day challenges and allow ourselves to play. And we will gather and watch our films together on the big screen and laugh. And there will always be popcorn. And formal wear.

PS: The friend will always be thankful that the man had the vision and let her run with it.