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 We love Taos, and we love film.

So we thought: why not create a film challenge that gets our local filmmaking community excited to make something fast, scrappy, and fun?

In fall 2023, we challenged Taos filmmakers to create an original short film in a mere 24 hours. Several teams rose to the occasion, racing the clock to make wild, inventive, delightfully unhinged masterpieces. We celebrated their efforts with a public screening at the Taos Center for the Arts — on the BIG Screen, where those films belonged.

A grand time was had by all. So we decided to do it again.

By spring 2024, we came to our senses (sort of) and challenged filmmakers to make a film in forty-eight… wait… yes, 48 hours.

The result? A full-on spectrum of Taos creativity. TCA’s lobby and auditorium buzzed with energy as filmmakers connected, shared their work, and built new creative relationships. That weekend helped solidify the heart of what Taos 48 is all about:

Connection through the creation of films.

Since then, we’ve continued to grow and experiment. We partnered with The Paseo Project, challenging filmmakers to incorporate the larger-than-life installation The Daedalum into their films. In March 2025, our ¡Viva Artivism! edition invited teams to respond to the state of the world through film — with a few live chicken cameos, of course. Later that year, our Trick or Treat challenge brought out a wave of local filmmakers, who delivered bold, strange, and hilarious creations.

Most recently, our filmmakers gathered at the Best of Taos 48 showcase for a special presentation at Taos Film Festival. What began as a scrappy little challenge has grown into a space where filmmakers come to make something strange, beautiful, urgent, and deeply their own — together.

We’ve loved building this with our community, and we’re just getting started.