Regal and Coca-Cola Announce Grand Prize Winner In Student Film Competition At CinemaCon — Watch

Coca-Cola and Regal Films announced today that the grand prize winners for the annual student film competition are Julian Conner and Tom Teller for “Crunch Time.” The 35-second film will play exclusively at Regal theaters nationwide.

The winners were announced at CinemaCon, the annual gathering of the motion picture theater community in Las Vegas, NV. “Sneaky Pete” star Giovanni Ribisi was among the judges deciding the winner, as well as “The Avengers” star Clark Gregg, and “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” director Richie Keen. The winning film was chosen based on select criteria: Creativity, creative fit, and entertainment value.

“As an actor and filmmaker, I understand the importance of real-world experience to develop your career,” said Ribisi of the importance of the competition. “Student film programs like what Regal and Coca-Cola have created offer a unique opportunity to learn in this way.”

Students from over 20 top colleges and university film programs had a chance to participate in the competition. Five teams were chosen from the American Film Institute, Chapman University, UCLA, Elon University, and New York University to receive $15,000 35-second film to connect consumers to the movie-going experience. In addition to the grand-prize winning film debuting at Regal theaters, RED, the program’s provider of professional technology, gave camera equipment for each production and awarded the winning filmmakers with a SCARLET-W 5K camera package and Chapman University with a RED EPIC-X 6K camera package.

“Crunch Time” is about a robot advertisement that comes to life in the lobby of a Regal Cinema, enticed by the magic of the movies. He breaks free from his model to take a seat in the front row, with an ice cold Coca-Cola and popcorn in hand.

Check out the short below, and congratulations to the winners!

“Crunch Time” will debut in Regal Theaters across the country beginning in May 2017.

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