“It’s great, because it forces you to focus on storytelling,” says writer-director Jeremy White. His short, Committed, won Best Drama at Emory University, the organization’s founding alma mater. His film, a dark comedy about a cheating husband who’s married to a serial killer, screened with other Campus MovieFest winners at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. 

Next on the agenda, White, along with some of his crew and 44 other winning student teams, will converge for a weekend of activities June 11-14 in Los Angeles. The opening ceremony includes presentations by actors Scott Adsit, Channing Tatum, and Christian Slater.

“It’s an amazing opportunity for students,” says David Roemer, co-founder of Campus MovieFest. “Students can see their films played on the same Paramount screens which brought them some of their favorite movies over the years.” 

This is the first time the organization has coordinated a red-carpet event in the heart of Hollywood. In addition to the screenings, workshops, and other networking events fill the weekend’s line-up which offers opportunities for the winners, who were selected from over 75,000 participants, to feel what it’s like to be in the spotlight.

Celebrity judges will review the films and choose a handful of winners to receive the grand prize. Judges include actors Amy Ryan, Donal Logue, and Mo Rocca, and screenwriters Shane Black, Scott Neustadter, and Michael Weber.

The event will close with performances by winners of Campus MusicFest, the partner contest that seeks young and talented musicians from college campuses across the United States. Searching for talented musicians is just as exciting as looking for filmmakers says Roemer, who is personally fulfilled by the challenge set forth to him each year. “It’s great for us and for the students.”

Campus MovieFest doesn’t stop with its finale event in Hollywood. With a library of over 5,000 films, the possibility for distribution is endless, says Roemer. The organization is looking ahead to showcase winners’ films on phones, the Internet and in-flight. 

 

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Jenna Milly, after a decade of writing news for CNN and The Los Angeles Times, decided r-e-e-l life was more interesting. She has been writing screenplays for six years and recently directed her first short film, A Peacock-Feathered Blue. She teaches dramatic writing at Emory University and runs her own script-consulting service. 

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