FMU students will have the opportunity to participate in the 2019-2020 Campus Movie Fest (CMF) tour, which is headed to over 50 colleges and universities around the U.S., providing students with the equipment, training and opportunity to share their stories on film.

CMF, the world’s largest student film festival, was founded in 2001 when four students at Emory University decided to give their friends and classmates all the equipment they needed to make a short film in a week. Today, more than one million students at colleges and universities worldwide have received all the necessary technology and training to tell their stories for free, thanks to corporations and schools.

CMF at FMU, which launches on Feb. 12, will allow students to have one week, until Feb. 18, to make their best possible five-minute film. The CMF Tour staff provides training, support and equipment, including a laptop loaded with creative software, a Panasonic HD camera and sound gear.

At the end of the week, judges rate the submissions, and the top 16 movies from FMU will screen at a red-carpet premiere on February 22 at FMU. The top four films from FMU will win the coveted Jury Award, and will move on to compete at the national level in June at the CMF Terminus: Conference and Film Festival.

CMF Jury Award winners will also have the chance to apply to the CMF Cannes Program. To celebrate the achievements of FMU’s most outstanding filmmakers, Silver Tripod Awards will be given in specific categories, including directing, editing, performance and more. Students can also compete in the Elfenworks Hope in Social Justice category, which highlights injustice and inspires change, with the national winner taking home $10,000.

Film-making experience is not required, and students with all levels of experience are encouraged to participate. Members of CMF were on campus promoting the competition from Feb. 4-11, before the event launched on Feb. 12.

Students who are interested in learning more about the event can visit their website at campusmoviefest.com.