Brett Ratner, Patton Oswalt, Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, Michael Giacchino and Mark Boal Among Participants in the Campus MovieFest 2010 International Grand Finale at Wynn Las Vegas

ATLANTA, June 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Campus MovieFest (CMF), the world's largest student film festival, announced today the initial lineup of industry-leading participants for the 2010 International Grand Finale (IGF) at Wynn Las Vegas from June 10-13.

Over the four days, CMF will host student filmmakers from across the globe at a full slate of events, including screenings of more than 200 movies, industry workshops, networking opportunities, and concerts, culminating with the awards ceremony at the Encore Theater. Tickets are available in advance at www.campusmoviefest.com and onsite at Wynn Las Vegas at the CMF Registration Desk.

Participants include Michael Giacchino (Academy Award® winning composer of Up, and an Academy Visiting Artist), Patton Oswalt (Ratatouille, Big Fan), Mark Boal (Academy Award winning writer/producer, The Hurt Locker), Brett Ratner (director, X-Men: The Last Stand), Donald Petrie (director of Grumpy Old Men, Miss Congeniality), Thomas Ackerman A.S.C. (cinematographer, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Beetle Juice), Marcos Siega (director of Vampire Diaries), Paul Sommers (director of photography, Vampire Diaries), Daniel Petrie, Jr. (writer of Beverly Hills Cop), Oded Fehr (The Mummy, Resident Evil), Ken Daurio and Cinco Paul (writers, Despicable Me, Horton Hears a Who!), PJ Bloom (music supervisor for Glee, Nip/Tuck), Tim Dowling (writer, Role Models), Ben Mankiewicz (TCM), John Ortiz (Fast & Furious, American Gangster), Sam Eigen (EVP, Shoreline Entertainment), Saschka Unseld (Technical Layout Director, Pixar), and more.

During a conversation with students, Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood will represent and answer questions from both sides of the entertainment world -- from the male and female side of the business. As business people, artists, and celebrities, they will speak on the current conditions of entertainment and its technologies.

At the gala ceremony, awards will be presented for Best Comedy, Best Drama and Best Picture, as well as the Elfenworks Social Justice Category.

Throughout the yearlong tour of events, CMF and presenting partner AT&T empowered over 75,000 students who were given one week to create five-minute movies. They received everything they needed – all for free – including Apple laptops, Panasonic HD cameras and AT&T Samsung phones. The movies screening at IGF highlight the best from over 50 participating universities, giving students an opportunity to share their movies with their peers, guests, and industry leaders. Students during this year's CMF World Tour will have earned over $400,000 in cash and prizes.

"Newcomers to our audience will be blown away by the level of creativity and talent on college campuses," said David Roemer, co-founder of CMF. "With the energy and excitement of Wynn Las Vegas as a backdrop, we are looking forward to an amazing weekend and an incredible showcase of college films, music, and special guests."

In addition to the film festival, the events also will feature the College Battle of the Bands National Grand Finale, on Friday, June 11. The top four bands selected during regional competitions will compete live for prizes and recognition at Tryst Nightclub.

Michael Seminer, director of College Battle of the Bands, said, "Our search for the next great college artists has turned up some superb talent that will rock the house at Wynn Las Vegas. Those in the audience might very well be witnessing the launching point for some of America's hottest new musicians."

About Campus MovieFest

Campus MovieFest began nine years ago when four students at Emory University provided fellow students with everything they needed to make movies in one week. Since then, more than 350,000 students have told their stories on the big screen, receiving all the necessary technology and training for free thanks to corporate partners and schools. Past winners have walked away with more than $2 million in prizes and seen their films on the big screens at CMF events nationwide, at Cannes, at Paramount Studios and on millions of smaller screens – including AT&T mobile devices, in-flight on Virgin America, and online.

For more information about Campus MovieFest, visit campusmoviefest.com.

SOURCE Campus MovieFest