Think you have to work on a tight deadline? Imagine how some of the filmmakers having premieres in D.C. felt last month. Tonight, the Warehouse Theater is showing the D.C. area films from the National Film Challenge. The challenge (a sister project to the D.C. based 48 Hour Film Challenge) was to write and complete a short film over the course of one weekend. Participating teams were only allowed to organize their equipment, crew, locations, and cast before 7 P.M. on October 1st. At 7 p.m., teams were e-mailed a randomly generated genre as well as three plot elements required in their short film. All creative elements for the films, including writing, editing, soundtracks and casting, had to take place over the weekend, with the finished product sent to the Challenge headquarters by Monday, Oct. 4. Tonight, the D.C. area filmmakers and their fans will get to see the results.

Elements required for the D.C. area were a character named J. Upton (a dog walker), a map, and the line “You caught me at a bad time”. The 11-member team Revolver Films was randomly assigned the horror genre. The team filmed in Potomac, at the Georgtown Public Library, and (appropriately) at the Exorcist Steps. Their film, “Detention” will be one of twenty 4-8 minute films to be shown at the Warehouse this evening. The films will run the genre gamut, from Sci-Fi, Mystery, Romantic Comedy, Horror, Action, to whatever else struck the organizers fancy (DCist is hoping for a Hong Kong style crime drama). Tickets are $4 and the show begins at 7:30 p.m.