Cannes InternAt — The American Pavilion

Tasks:

The intern will demonstrate their learning outcomes by checking in regularly with their Advisor, who in turn reports to the Student Program directors. Every few days, Program directors check in with the Advisors and can then address any areas where a particular student may need motivation. Every student identifies 2 or 3 areas they wish to take part in. In the case of CSUF student Mikaela, her top two choices were to be placed on Pavilion teams in either social media or front-of-house operations where she can have the most interactions with industry people. Moreover, each participant’s internship should account to no more than 1/6 of their day, so everyone is encouraged to augment their schedules by participating in panel discussions, roundtables, master classes, and numerous networking opportunities each day and night.

Training:

Prior to arriving in Cannes, the student will take part in four weekly pre-travel zooms along with all other participants in this year’s program. The day after arrival in France, the student will participate in a day-long Orientation session that includes safety briefings by the U.S. Consulate in France, logistics talks by certain AmPav departments and representatives of the Festival, and walking tours of Cannes to identify everything from ATMS and pharmacies to cinemas and police stations. Finally, every participant in our program will be assigned a Student Advisor to assist them during their two weeks with us. The advisor will be either a)- faculty from an American university; b)- an industry volunteer; or c)- a past AmPav participant (alumnus/a) who has had a minimum of 5 years of real-world work experience following their year doing our program. These Advisors serve as mentors of sorts for each student. More about what each student experiences before, during, and after the program can be found here.

Learning Outcome:

By the end of the internship, the student will have a broader understanding of the myriad moving parts that go into executing the world’s largest film festival, the Cannes International Festival du Film. Since 1989, The American Pavilion has been the de facto hospitality and communications hub for American independents working at Cannes, and AmPav’s Worldwide Student Program has been instrumental in the career trajectories of over 4000 students. As such, by the end of the internship, the student will have had countless opportunities to practice networking skills and make invaluable connections. Finally, the student will return home with a clearer sense of the business of film, in a professional setting that complements their formal education, by the Marché du Film, the business side of independent film distribution that takes place concurrently with the Festival.