Ever wanted to make a movie? Well, Mexican-American director Robert Rodriguez is giving aspiring filmmakers a chance to get behind the camera via a contest. Posted on Rodriguez’s Twitter, in honor of his debut feature El Mariachi’s 25th anniversary five amateur directors will be selected to “write, shoot and edit a brand new feature-length film with only $7,000.” The entire process will be streamed in a six-episode, one-hour series entitled Rebel Without a Crew: The Series. To show Rodriguez is still a humble director, he’ll also create a film alongside the five amateurs, working with the same budget.
The director is no stranger to working on a limited budget. As he detailed in his book of the same name, Rodriguez made El Mariachi with only $7,000 and a few items he had on hand (including a turtle). Filmed throughout Ciudad Acuña, Mexico and originally meant for release to the Mexican home video market, El Mariachi captured the eyes of Columbia Pictures who quickly snapped up the American distribution rights. Considered the lowest budgeted movie to gross $1 million El Mariachi went on to become a prominent Latin American franchise starring Antonio Banderas.
You can enter the contest via First Features.