The Coca-Cola Regal Films student filmmaking program named Olivia Wilde as their 2019 celebrity ambassador, where she will mentor film school students and be on the Red Ribbon Panel to select the program’s winning film that will be screened at Regal locations around the country. Each year, the program works to give aspiring filmmakers a platform to share their stories with the world, spotlighting a handful of works from various colleges and universities. It’s a tremendous opportunity for artists, allowing them a chance to have their movie be seen by a large audience.
Wilde was already having a fairly busy 2019, seeing that her directorial debut Booksmart will premiere at the SXSW Festival before debuting in theaters this May. As the actress takes that exciting step for her career, she found the time in her schedule to lend a helping hand to the next generation of filmmakers, forming a nice partnership with the Coca-Cola Regal Films program.
In a press release, it was announced Wilde would be this year’s celebrity ambassador. As part of her responsibilities, Wilde met with the five contest finalists, giving the youngsters priceless advice and answering any questions they had. It was all part of a whirlwind experience for the program finalists, who were also given a $15,000 budget and state-of-the-art equipment to make a 30-second short film. Wilde expressed her enthusiasm for the initiative in a statement:
Wilde has several years of acting under her belt (appearing in everything from character-driven dramas to big-budget genre films) and is now starting to flex her own directorial muscles, so it was probably very valuable for the students to sit down with her and talk. Aspiring filmmakers dream of having the opportunity to converse with established industry professionals and pick their brains to learn the tricks of the trade, so it’s great to see Coca-Cola and Regal work to make this happen. Whatever advice Wilde shared, the contestants will surely take it with them as they look to hone their craft and take the next steps in their studies and careers.
“It’s been so inspiring to meet with young talent to mentor as a filmmaker. This particular group of students felt like a diverse representation of today’s youth and it’s encouraging to see each of those students embraced by a growing program. It’s an honor to support them and be a part of their future success.”
Those interested will be able to see the five finalist films on March 9 at coke.com/RegalFilms. They are 3 Wishes (UNLV), It Happened Like This (UCLA), You Didn’t Know That (NYU), The Exchange (The New School), and Choose Happy (SCAD). While only one will be chosen to screen in Regal theaters, all five filmmaking teams should walk away from this experience feeling proud of what they’ve accomplished and should only have better things awaiting them in the future. Maybe one day somebody from this group will be mentoring Coca-Cola Regal Film program participants.
More: Screen Rant’s 2019 Winter & Spring Movie Preview
Source: Coca-Cola Regal Films Program
