The Cannes Film Festival

From May 8 to May 24th I was given the opportunity of a lifetime. I was able to go to the Cannes Film Festival as an intern under the American Pavilion. This internship encompassed alot of painstaking time, the depths of my wallet, and bottles of excedrin, but was completely worth it.

For the entirety of my stay in Cannes I had to work six hours per day. Either in the morning or after 3:30. Once we were off from work we were given the freedom to traverse the Film Festival as far as our festival badges could take us (which unfortunately was not very far in most cases).

The Film Festival was an amazing experience. The video journals moreso capture the lively side of the Festival along with my travelings during the time I found myself open to explore the entirety of Cannes and the provinces around it, but this should not deter you from believing a gained a very honest (and brutal) recognition of the film industry through traversing the avenues of The Cannes Film Festival.

The Festival taught me the neccesity of being useful. In a world where every person must have a specific function, this rings most true within the film industry. I can remember on a few occassions where people would not even speak to me once they found out I was just a student filmmaker. In their eyes I had not immediate worth so there was no reason to speak to me (it also gave them the mindset that their was no reason to treat me as a lowly peon).

I did find those who out of pure nostalgia (since they were probably in my position in the not too distant past) would speak to me. They freely entertained my questions and prodded me to ask more. I admit, these people were stroking their egos, but at least the information I acquired was of beneficial use.

Any personal conversation ending with the exchanging of business cards I considered a victorious situation. The Cannes Film Festival's relevance comes in this simple word, networking.

Even the Palm D'Ores competition paled in comparison to the amount of revenue and negotiations being made during the entirety of the film festival. People came to Cannes to negotiate, buy, and sell. Simple as that.

This is why I go back to my previous statement. I'm glad I went as a student so when the day comes that I return as a legitimate filmmaker and businessmen I will have an acute understanding of the business side inherent with the festival.

Come with relevance. Come with substance. Come with a video, a script, a short film, or an business idea. Come with something.

The Film Festival Market has no room for people without a concrete goal & an iron will. You had to be strong. I learned that quickly.

I learned more than I can begin to describe. If you ever go, you will have fun, but please consider your time their a unique path towards understanding the curriculum of the industry.

It will be a valuable possession.

*The video journals are gone but you can watch the first day of the festival here.