Babel 48: Asia’s Largest Film Competition for IB Students
Chadwick International School students in South Korea participating in this year’s Babel 48.
This January marked a major milestone for Babel Film Workshop as we hosted Babel 48, a 48-hour film competition, with over 350 students from 18 schools across Asia, becoming the largest film competition for IB (International Baccalaureate) Film students in Asia.
The competition brings together student teams from different international schools through a challenge to create a short film over a 48-hour time frame based on this year’s prompts, which were a broom (prop), “that was like 30 seconds ago” (line of dialogue) and breaking the fourth wall (cinematic technique). The films’ formats are also designed to fit within IB Film Portfolio requirements.
Participating Schools
This year’s competition featured an impressive lineup of participating schools from across Asia with leading film programs, including:
Hong Kong: Canadian International School, Chinese International School, Discovery College, King George V School, Sha Tin College, West Island School
China: Keystone Academy, QSI International School of Shenzhen, Shenzhen Foreign Languages GBA Academy, UWC Changshu China
Rest of Asia: The International School of Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), International School Manila (Philippines), Dulwich College (Singapore), Branksome Hall Asia (South Korea)
Competition and Awards
Each school received the same rules and prompts, and chose to participate within a 48-hour period in January, with some schools offering students the option to skip classes to participate during the school day.
While a total of 70 films were submitted, films that were late by even a second, or broke any of the rules, are disqualified from the international competition. Out of qualified entries, each school can nominate up to 2 films to represent their school in the upcoming Babel Film Awards, taking place on March 22, 2025 at Chinese International School in Hong Kong. Awards will include Best 48-Hour Film, 1st Runner-Up, 2nd Runner-Up, Special Mention(s), and an Audience Award.
Stay tuned for our nominations and award winners announcement! Teachers who are interested in participating in the next Babel 48 can learn more here.
