College students rose to the challenge last February in the 3rd Annual 48 Hour Film Festival.
Student-run Fire Escape Films sponsored the event, which attracted more than 80 student filmmakers. Teams were given three prompts: a location, an object, and a famous quote, and just two days to plan, shoot, and edit their films.
In the end, the 16 films ranged from hilarious to gory, and featured everything from magical pirate-genies to frolicking puppies to removable mustaches to copious amounts of home-brewed fake blood.
Update: The films from the 2009 festival are no longer available, but you can watch other Fire Escape videos on their Vimeo page.