黑料不打烊

For two weeks in May, the Cannes Film Festival in France brings together some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry, and students from 黑料不打烊 were among them, playing an integral supporting role at the prestigious festival.

Through an internship program with American Pavilion鈥攖he central hub for American attendees and industry professionals at Cannes鈥攆our students from Pacific鈥檚 Media Arts and Production program assisted with events, programming, guest services, distribution and talent agencies.

The unique opportunity was funded through the Barbara and Benjamin Bejan Experiential Learning Endowment, which supports experiential learning opportunities at Pacific.

Rising fourth-year student Isabella Edwards 鈥�26 shares a first-hand account of her experience working as a videographer at the festival.

Interning at Cannes

I was placed inside the American Pavilion on their videography team, which meant I got to film daily panel discussions as well as interviews with American Pavilion staff, students and scholarship recipients. This year is the first time American Pavilion partnered with IndieWire, so some of the IndieWire staff were there to mentor our video and social media teams. We filmed panels with producers, entertainment lawyers and directors like Richard Linklater and Spike Lee, who were both at Cannes for their film premieres 鈥淣ouvelle Vague鈥� and 鈥淗ighest 2 Lowest.鈥�

As a videographer, my shifts were dependent on the number of tasks or events to cover. In between, our team would grab B-roll of the hustle and bustle of the pavilion, with the backdrop of the French Riviera. We were on our feet working hard, but our supervisors were also huge believers in us taking in all there was to see at the festival. If any of us got tickets to a screening, they鈥檇 make sure we took the opportunity.

I consider myself lucky to have interned on the videography team. This was a chance to bring my love for cameras to a large festival setting while collaborating with students who are equally passionate about other aspects of filmmaking, like producing and marketing. Being present for those panel discussions also allowed me to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the different entertainment professionals who shape the industry today.

My experience at the festival

During my downtime, I was able to catch quite a few screenings, including the premiere of 鈥淢y Mom Jayne,鈥� actress Mariska Hargitay鈥檚 documentary about her mother, Jayne Mansfield. It had the longest standing ovation for a screening that I was able to attend, and at the end, Hargitay shared stories with us about the last scene, which wasn鈥檛 originally part of the film.

On the closing day of the festival, an acquaintance and I were waiting outside a theatre for nearly three hours, hoping to see a screening we were excited about. We made it in, but suddenly the movie just stopped, and after several minutes. It turned out to be a five-hour power outage, and I never got to see the rest of the movie.

Even with that hiccup, I still got the full big-screen film festival experience. I had been looking forward to seeing 鈥淓leanor the Great,鈥� Scarlett Johansson鈥檚 directorial debut, for months, and I was able to immerse myself in that in Cannes. It was a film that had the audience both laughing out loud and crying. My roommate put it best: any movie that can make you feel all those feelings has got to be good. If I had to choose a favorite narrative film there, it would be 鈥淓leanor.鈥�

Cannes takeaways

Attending and interning at the Cannes Film Festival was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me. Every student has their own unique experience at Cannes. It鈥檚 something that you can make your own, whether you鈥檙e interested in screenings, sightseeing, networking or roundtables and panels. There are plenty of internship possibilities, and the American Pavilion makes an effort to line you up with what you鈥檙e interested in as a film student. This is something I would highly recommend for anyone with a Media Arts and Production major or minor at Pacific.