Welcome to

POW
417

Proof of Work
A 48-Hour Human Film Gathering
Springfield, MO

Tonight — 6:00 PM Opening Ceremony

The
10 Teams
Are off

48 hours on the clock, films must be finished by 6:47 pm Sunday

48 Hours.
No Prompt.
Make a Film.

Hour 00 — Kickoff
Opening Ceremonies
Gather with your crew. The clock starts when ceremonies close. No prompt — just your vision, your team, and 48 hours.
Hours 01–12 — Pre-Pro
Write & Prep
Develop your concept, write your script, scout locations, cast your crew. This is where your film starts to exist.
Hours 12–36 — Production
Shoot It
Roll camera. Everything is practical — real locations, real light, real performances. No AI-generated anything.
Hours 36–48 — Post
Cut & Deliver
Edit, mix, color, and deliver. Human hands on every frame. Submission is final. The clock is the great equalizer.
After — Screening
We Watch Together
Every film screens publicly. Every crew gets seen. No winners, no losers — just filmmakers in the same room.

Not a
competition.
A coming
together.

POW417 is a 48-hour film gathering built around one simple idea: what happens when people actually show up and make something real, together, by hand?

No rankings. No trophies. No algorithm. Just crews, cameras, and the clock. Every team gets the same deadline and the same constraints. What you do with it is entirely yours.

We built this because the 417 deserves a film event that respects the craft. One that says the human eye, the human hand, and the human story still matter — maybe more than ever.

The
Only
Rules
That
Matter

These aren't restrictions.
They're the whole point.

01
No AI. Not Even a Little. Non-Negotiable
No AI-generated images, voice, scripts, music, visual effects, or any tool that uses generative AI in any part of your pipeline.
02
All Footage Shot in the 48 Hard Rule
Every frame of your film must be captured during the official 48-hour window. Stock footage is not permitted.
03
5 Minutes Maximum Core
Your finished film — credits included — must not exceed 5 minutes.
04
Show Up for the Screening Expected
This isn't a drop-box event. Being present at the screening is part of the deal.