Nikon has kicked off a new user-generated content (UGC) film festival with the help of actor Ashton Kutcher and the popularity he has inspired among the microblogging service Twitter to launch new promotions.

Kutcher tweeted about his involvement in the Nikon Film Festival early this past week trying to create a viral buzz among his 3.9 million followers. Promoting the new Nikon D5000, Kutcher posted a link to his own entry, a short film documenting a day he spent in Africa with his wife, actress Demi Moore.

The campaign asks that participants submit “a day through your lens” video. Taking yet another cue from Twitter, the contest requires that all submissions are kept to a 140 second limit.

“I wanted them to reflect the brevity of Twitter and show their personal point of view,” said Faris Yakob, chief technology strategist at McCann Erickson, New York, which created the campaign. “It should make it as applicable to Ashton Kutcher or anyone else.”

The short films will be judged based on picture quality and creativity by celebrities such as Kutcher, Rainn Wilson of NBC’s The Office, photographer Chase Jarvis and YouTube star Justine Ezarik.

The Nikon Film Festival is taking into consideration the newly released guidelines by the Federal Trade Commission for product endorsement through social media. Yakob said that the rules do not apply in this particular contest as it does not require entrants to use the Nikon D5000 - or any Nikon specific camera - in order to enter.

Participants will be able to share their submissions to attract more views, support and comments in hopes of winning. The audience choice winner will receive $25,000 and the judges’ panel winner takes home $100,000.