A snapshot of Ashton Kutcher’s entry in the Nikon Film Festival

Twitter users may be able to microblog their thoughts at less than 140 characters, but can they put all that on film? In a new short film contest from camera-maker Nikon, budding filmmakers are challenged to submit their own videos of 140 seconds or less, with the winner receiving $100,000.

With the theme of “A Day through Your Lens,” the Nikon Film Festival was christened by actor Ashton Kutcher, Twitter’s reigning king and Nikon advertising star, who posted his own video, a two minute short film documenting his trip to Africa earlier this year.

The festival also has some other big name celebrities, both from Hollywood and the photography world. Guest judges for the top prizes include the developer of the “Best Camera” iPhone app (and good friend of Silber Studios) Chase Jarvis, YouTube star iJustine, and actor Rainn Wilson, better known as Dwight Schrute from NBC’s The Office. The stars will be sharing their own videos shot with a Nikon D-SLR camera, then judge all submissions.

The festival itself is a promotion for Nikon’s D5000 camera as well as an effort by the brand to merge current social media with innovative products. Nikon wants users to have an outlet to show their personal views to the world, an idea that folks like Rainn Wilson are getting behind.

“As an actor and avid writer, I applaud Nikon’s creation of this Festival to advance the accessibility of thought-sharing and self expression to aspiring filmmakers and photographers,” said Wilson. “I think this is a unique way for people to initiate dialogue on topics they care about, while gaining exposure for their work. I’m excited to check out the videos people submit and will be tweeting throughout the Festival.”

To read up on the contest rules, or to view some of the early entries including submissions from Jarvis, Wilson and Ashton Kutcher, check out the Nikon Festival website.