Ah, Cannes, where the sun beats down on beach goers and once a year the French Riviera is decked out in Tinseltown splendor and adorned with movie stars, significant others and big-time moviemakers for the film festival.

Yet who wants to be mired in such glitz when there is the . . . Can Film Festival?

Only slightly less auspicious than Cannes, the Can Film Festival is an event sponsored by the Student Filmmakers Organization to highlight student and faculty films.

One of the festival's most perplexing aspects is its name's origin. SFO President Dan Miller (senior-film) explained the name's twofold meaning.

"What I think is because when a film is finished, it's called 'in the can,' " Miller said. He added that the student run festival's name is also a bad pun on that highbrow European shindig.

The festival's credo is simple, Miller said. "Get a forum for where student films can be shown."

SFO Vice President Eric Komar (senior-film) reiterated this purpose and added that festival participants benefit from the comments they receive about the works.

"Being an entertainment medium, it is nice to hear criticism from non-majors," Komar said.

At least two filmmakers wholeheartedly agreed with Komar's assertion, saying the movie business is nothing without spectators.

"A film isn't worth much without an audience. You need something more than just a classroom. When you show (a film) to film majors, the first thing they notice is the technical aspects. You get a larger reaction from a general audience," said Rob Lee (senior-film), who had a hand in three festival entries.

Keith Wagner (junior-film) also said a broadly based audience is important to gauge responses to films.

"I think I tend to have a certain style; I need to know what does work and what doesn't," he said.

The harsh realities of the film business also necessitate self-advertising and a festival is a good place for it, said David Walton (senior-marketing / film), who has an entry in Can.

"As a filmmaker, you want to blow your own horn as much as you can, because it's tough to get work. Self-promotion is important," he said.

Bill Lorentz (junior-film) said that along with self-promotion, there is a curiosity to see an audiences acknowledge the hard work.

"It's such a long and complex process, whenever someone can appreciate that, it makes it all worthwhile," he said.

Miller said he feels student filmmakers should be recognized for the work they produce.

"If somebody's willing to put a couple of thousand dollars into an art form they believe in, they should have a forum," he said.

Devoted filmmaker Walton spent last year's spring break indoors, directing his entry Nauseous Nocturne.

"We got the idea from a "Calvin and Hobbes" book; there was a poem that lent itself real well to a short film," Walton said.

The film is something different from usual class exercises, Walton said, as he explained the film's plot. The plot involves a child's severe anxiety about possible monsters hiding in his closet, he said.

"It was probably the best project I ever worked on as a student filmmaker," he said.

This year's Can benefits from a varied crop of films, ranging from "animation, to documentary to full-blown senior project," Miller said. This year the festival accepted 19 entries for the almost two hour program. Some students served in different capacities for different films, so they can claim multiple entries.

Lee served as cinematographer for Nocturne and another entry 'Tis the Season, and completed all aspects of production on My Love Explodes. Lee described his production as an experimental piece, which takes advantage of certain video-specific anomalies.

"I was fooling around one day and discovered this interesting possibility with a video camera; I guess you could call it psychedelic. I made it strictly for the emotional impact of it," Lee said.

Wagner said he is not totally sure from where the ideas for his two entries -- Fun at the Pool and The Evil Clown Film -- came.

Wagner explained Fun as a cheery tale of a pool cover that attacks somebody. Wagner traced the possible inspiration to the way pool covers stick to you, just like cling-wrap.

Even more stark sounding is Evil Clown, which Wagner said is about a little girl and her toys, one of which is a real person. When asked from where this film idea came, he responded with a cackle "I have no clue."

Lorentz can boast the only animated film in the festival. He said his Breakfast on Parade was made when he was a high school student and had entailed 100 hours of labor.

Lorentz said he combined clay and object animation, using real food with clay appendages. Lorentz is proud of his film, which won awards in a few prestigious ceremonies.

Lorentz said he welcomes comments about his film. "If it's constructive criticism, their reaction is welcomed . . . people tend to get lost in (the animation)," he said.

Can is not a contest and at least one filmmaker feels making the festival competitive would raise the film department's quality.

"I think competition might push us to be better; at least the production value would go up," Walton said.

Just knowing their films will be screened might also entice filmmakers to produce better work, Lee said, "because they don't want to show anything they're not proud of themselves."

Two other film students voiced adamant distaste at the suggestion of competition.

Said Wagner, "I think it should stay just a festival; there's enough competition within the major. Everyone should be able to show their stuff, whether good or bad."

Lorentz said he did not think competition was a good idea because students outside the major might be discouraged from entering their works in the festival.

Miller said the festival has been on hiatus for the past couple years, so the organization decided to get down to brass tacks in planning this year's event.

"I think especially to get something started again you have to go back to the basics, all you need is a screen and a projector," he said.

The organization will sell t-shirts and usher the event to help offset its expense, Miller said.

The Can Film Festival is at 8 tonight in Schwab Auditorium. Admission is free.