NATCHEZ – Owners of a Natchez-based film company hope a recent 48-hour competition will help spur growth and exposure.

Natchez Film Co. began work on their next upcoming project, a film challenge hosted by the 48 Hour Film Project, a national organization aimed at helping small creators jumpstart their careers in filmmaking last Friday. During this challenge filmmakers were required to create a script, sound design, and cast, as well as fully color and edit a film within the limits of a two-day period.

“They give you a genre, prop, character name, and a line of dialogue to work with, and after that it’s up to you,” said Davis Sharp, producer and director. “We began at 7:30 p.m. on Friday afternoon, and we ended Sunday with a fully edited short film.” 

The film, “Parcel Parasites,” is about a struggling filmmaker who turns to petty theft to help fund his next big project. Sharp said it was made with the help of many volunteer and union members, as well as set dresser Will Smith and costume designer Sarah Hanson as the project’s costume designer. Sharp co-owns Natchez Film Co. and Natchez Sound Studio with his brother, Burne, who also helped with the film project.

If the Natchez Film Co wins the competition it will be given the opportunity to register into the next round of regional competition. The film also will debut in New Orleans on June 22 and will be open to online audiences voting for a number of different awards. 

“Anyone willing to vote would help us a ton, we need public support more than anything” Davis Sharp said.

More information for anyone willing to follow along on the journey of the Natchez Film Company can be found on their website, at natchezfilmco.com.