A SONS OF SUMMER SHORT - FILM
SCRATCHER
WINNING FILM AT AGBO’s
NO SLEEP ‘TIL FILM FESTIVAL
Scratcher Wins First Place at AGBO’s No Sleep ‘Til Film Festival
AGBO’s No Sleep ‘Til Film Festival—created by AGBO, the production company founded by Anthony and Joe Russo—is a high-intensity 48-hour filmmaking competition challenging teams to conceive, write, shoot, edit, and deliver a complete short film within a single weekend. At 5:00 p.m. on Friday, all participating teams receive an official creative directive. This year’s prompt required storytellers to craft a film that shifts the audience’s perspective.
PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS:
48-HOUR TIMELINE
→ PRE-FESTIVAL
Prior to the start of the competition, Sons of Summer approached actor Jae Kim to be the lead of the project. During early conversations, Kim expressed interest in incorporating Korean dialogue into the performance—an idea Sons of Summer committed to exploring once the prompt arrived.
→ FRIDAY AFTERNOON
The official prompt—challenging teams to create a story that “changes the audience’s perspective”—was released, launching the 48-hour window.
→ FRIDAY EVENING
During the creative brainstorm by the Sons of Summer, the concept for "Scratcher" was sparked by a real-life moment in which an individual won $100 from a scratcher and immediately reinvested the entire amount into new tickets. This gambling loop was the spark that inspired the main storyline. Acknowledging that many liquor stores are Korean-owned, Sons of Summer recognized an opportunity to play with audience assumptions and build a perspective-shifting narrative. This led to the development of a key reveal: the store clerk is actually the protagonist’s mother, aligning directly with the prompt’s requirement. Script development began immediately that night, and a liquor store set was secured as the primary location that evening.
→ SATURDAY MORNING
Sons of Summer conducted a rapid creative “pre-edit” to establish tone, pacing, and visual sequencing. This step is a staple in Sons of Summer's creative process.
→ SATURDAY EARLY AFTERNOON
Final casting was completed, with the Crystal Lee coming onto the project only two hours before the start of production.
→ SATURDAY PRODUCTION
IN 4 HOURS - The entire short film was captured on location during a focused four-hour shoot with the only crew being the three members of Sons of Summer.
→ SATURDAY EVENING
Post-production began Saturday night with an aggressive first cut coming in at 9 minutes.
→ SUNDAY
The final cut landed with a final runtime of 3 minutes with only 10 minutes left before the competition deadline hit. Leaving no time to even add credits at the end.
→ POST FESTIVAL
After the competition, Sons of Summer developed a director’s cut of the film, expanding narrative beats, deepening character moments, and presenting the full vision that wanted to be achieved beyond the limitations of the 48-hour format.
→ OUTCOME
The film, "Scratcher" won first place at AGBO’s No Sleep ‘Til Film Festival, recognized for its effective deployment of the required perspective shift anchored by Korean-language performance and the unexpected familial reveal.
