MOVIES: School’s in at Wynn for world’s largest student film festival

Wynn Las Vegas doesn’t look much like a college campus.

This weekend, however, it becomes a magnet for creative college types as Campus MovieFest, the world’s largest student film festival, concludes its 2009-2010 tour with an International Grand Finale Friday through Sunday at the Wynn.

The finale, which is open to the public, features more than 250 screenings, plus industry workshops, concerts and a red-carpet closing ceremony.

From 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday, a selection of student-made short films will screen at the Wynn, representing the best of this year’s tour, plus CMF alumni films. Top students during the 2009-2010 CMF World Tour earned more than $400,000 in cash and prizes.

Among the show business pros confirmed to attend the festival’s industry workshops: Oscar-winning “Hurt Locker” screenwriter Mark Boal, Oscar-winning “Up” composer Michael Giacchino, director Brett Ratner (“X-Men: The Last Stand”), comic actor Patton Oswalt (whose credits include “Ratatouille,” “The Informant!” and TV’s “United States of Tara”) and director Donald Petrie (“Miss Congeniality,” “Grumpy Old Men”).

Friday night’s College Battle of Bands grand finale, to be held at Tryst nightclub, will showcase the top four bands chosen from more than 100 colleges and universities: Apple Trees and Tangerines (Lee University), Beyond This Point (Five Towns College), The Oregon Donor (Skagit Valley College) and Jake Snider (Columbia University). Industry judges will award prizes and top honors.

The event climaxes with the gala International Grand Finale awards ceremony, to be held at 8 p.m. Saturday at Wynn’s Encore Theatre; celebrity guests will present awards for the best comedy, drama and best film. In addition, screenings of the top 16 shorts will be featured.

CMF began nine years ago when four students at Emory University provided fellow students with everything they needed to make a movie in a week. Since then, more than 250,000 students have received free laptop computers, camcorders, phones and training by participating in the program.

Festival tickets are available online at www.campusmoviefest.com/igf; with the promotional code CMFWYNN, festival patrons may purchase all-access passes for $75; passes to the industry workshops and grand finale for $37.50 and passes to daytime screenings and the Battle of the Bands for $12.50. Tickets also are available by calling (541) 263-8324 or e-mailing tickets@campusmoviefest.com. A festival schedule and other details are available online at www.campusmoviefest.com.