The theme for this year’s FilmFest will be “Rise.”

An interest meeting took place Wednesday to explain what FilmFest is and the different roles in the filmmaking process. Interested students of all majors were encouraged to sign-up to receive more information as well as help develop teams.

Student director Forrest Lorenzen said FilmFest offers benefits from gaining experience to creating connections for potential employers.

“There are so many benefits, for a lot of people who want to do film it’s hard to get started,”said Lorenzen, junior multimedia major from Amarillo. “Having an organization that helps them and takes them through the process and gives them a venue to show their finished work is just a huge motivation.”

Connections are often made through the FilmFest judges, are industry professionals in charge of selecting winners for the separate categories, such as best actress, best picture and more.

Certified judges in past years have included alumnus Randy Brewer (‘91), owner of Revolution Pictures. Brewer has been known to help provide internships to those who have participated in FilmFest.

Lorenzen said he hopes to have Nelson Coates, award-nominated art director, and Brittany Huckabee, editor of Hot Girls Wanted documentary.

The rough deadline for applicants to enter FilmFest is Nov. 30, which is subject to change. The FilmFest gala will be Feb. 3 at Paramount Theatre in downtown Abilene. Admission is free for all ACU students.

More information can be found on the Facebook page “ACU FilmFest” or filmfest@acu.edu.