NORFOLK, Va. - Two Old Dominion University students are making Monarch history.
In May they will travel to France to show their original film at the Cannes Film Festival.
"Ever since I became a film maker this was the film festival I wanted to go to," shared Jake Brinn, a Junior at ODU and the film's director. "Its still surreal I can`t even process it yet."
Brinn and ODU Senior Chris Conner will have their film "Flushed" screen alongside some of the best in the industry.
The film script was originally written for one of Brinn's film classes, but when Campus Movie Fest, the world's largest film festival, made a stop at ODU earlier this year, his team turned the script into a five minute short film.
"After we were done editing it I was, I knew it was decent and it was funny and that judges would like it," said Brinn.
The judges didn't just like the film, they chose it to move onto the next round, at the nationwide competition in Atlanta. It was also chosen to screen at the Cannes Film Festival.
"I got that news in the middle of one of the dining halls and I stood up out of my chair and my food almost fell off of my table everyone was looking at me and I screamed 'yes!'," laughed Brinn.
ODU was able to fund some of the trip for Brinn and Conner, but for the rest, the students created a Go Fund Me page. They hit their goal after a few weeks.
"I think that`s what is so great about this area about Hampton roads we may not have the biggest film community but we are close and we support each other."
Brinn and Conner will fly out to France in May and will spend two weeks networking, mingling with celebrities and directors while waiting for "Flushed" to screen along some of the best in the world.
"This is an amazing opportunity for ODU and the Hampton Roads area to be represented over seas in France and the biggest Film Festival in the world," shared Brinn. "I am humbled and honored to be the one over there."