Campus MovieFest, the world’s largest student film festival, is returning to the University of Central Florida on Tuesday, Jan. 22.
As part of the competition’s 12th annual world tour, students will have six days to make a movie of their own creation, and the top films will be shown Feb. 13 at the Student Union.
Students who sign up will be provided the free use of everything they need to make a five-minute movie – a laptop loaded with movie-making software, a video camera, training, and support.
“Every year we’re blown away by the amazing movies students can create in one week.” said Dan Costa, co-founder of Campus MovieFest.
Participating students experience an opportunity to express themselves, learn about filmmaking, and win prizes including $30,000, one-year memberships to Adobe Creative Cloud, and exposure opportunities. Winning films are showcased in-flight on Virgin America and at the Cannes Film Festival Short Film Corner.
Students may signup online before moviemaking launches at UCF on Jan. 22.
Categories include Best Picture, Best Drama and Best Comedy, as well as the CMF Elfenworks Social Justice Category, an opportunity to create a short movie or song about social justice for a chance to win up to $20,000 in grants.
Movies are turned in on Jan. 28, and then judged by a panel of UCF students, staff, and faculty. On Feb. 13, the top movies will be shown at a red carpet finale at the Student Union’s Pegasus Lounge at 7:30 p.m. Top winners from UCF will advance to CMF Hollywood in June. UCF winners are also invited to join the CMF Distinguished Filmmakers Network, a program that provides top students with opportunities ranging from paid content production to experiences within the film industry.
During the 2011-2012 competition, more than 75,000 students participated in Campus MovieFest, with more than 250 films advancing to CMF Hollywood.
For more information about Campus MovieFest, to sign-up, or to see the best CMF movies, visit http://www.campusmoviefest.com.