Stickman Short Film Festival Open Air 2026 - 48h Challenge

On Thursday, 9 July 2026, Kulturhaus Schwanen in Waiblingen will screen the results of the Stickman 48h Challenge as part of the Schwanen Open Air Cinema. Doors open at 19:00, screening starts at 20:00. Co-presented by Stickman-Productions GbR, the evening brings together short film, time pressure, teamwork and improvisation: every film on show was made in just 48 hours, from the first idea to the finished export.

One weekend, one theme, one technical handicap, no safety nets - that is the appeal of the Stickman 48h Challenge. On Friday evening, teams receive a set word and a filmmaking constraint - a fixed visual style, black-and-white, or a single light source, for example. The finished short must be submitted by Sunday evening. The focus is not on polish but on ingenuity, decisiveness and the drive to make something personal out of imposed limits.

The screening at Schwanen brings these very different films to a big outdoor screen. Some are raw, some precisely crafted, some odd, funny or surprisingly quiet - all of them show what happens when time is short but ideas still find room. Because the jury looks at vision, execution and team spirit rather than camera quality, budget or technical specs, the Challenge is just as appealing to first-time filmmakers as to seasoned ones.

The evening adds up to more than a showcase. It is cinema, a meeting point and a window into an independent film scene that sets its own challenges and keeps moving.

More information coming soon at https://stickman-productions.com