Graduate film studies one of few in nation to include trip to Cannes Film Festival in curriculum
Kim Chaudoin | 615.966.6494 |
For film students wanting to know all there is to know about the industry, the Cannes Film Festival provides a living classroom.
A delegation of 13 Lipscomb graduate film students along with faculty Steve Taylor and Dave DeBorde traveled to Cannes, France, May 11-22 to learn about the business of the film industry.
While in Cannes, students networked with professionals attending the festival and examined the ethics of the industry. The trip focused on learning how the film market works, how deals are made, distribution, marketing and how to understand “what the industry is looking for” in terms of themes, quality and product. Lipscomb’s program is one of the few film studies programs in the nation to incorporate a trip to the Cannes Film Festival into its curriculum, said DeBorde, chair of Lipscomb’s Department of Cinematic Arts, housed in the College of Entertainment & the Arts.
“Cannes is the biggest film festival in the world,” said DeBorde. “More than 80 percent of the world’s film business takes place during these two weeks. More than 250,000 or more people descend on Cannes—distributors, vendors, production companies, studio reps and other industry professionals. This experience gives our students the opportunity to learn from those experts in addition to networking, finding internships, pitching their work and so many other activities.”
Spencer Glover, a graduate film student, said the experience was beneficial in his career as a filmmaker.
“To be at one of the most respected film festivals in the world with credentials that allow you to really be apart of the community there is invaluable,” he said. “I was able to network with other professionals from different countries, build relationships with other American filmmakers from around the nation and watch films from all over the globe. It's definitely inspiring to watch a film in the Grand Lumiere theatre with over 2,500 film enthusiasts at the same time. It leaves you in awe how no matter the language, country, race or gender, films have the power to affect you in very specific ways. For me that was the most important take away. I'm thankful for the experience.”
The Cannes Film Festival is famous for previewing new films of all genres, including documentaries, from around the world. This invitation-only annual festival is one of the most prestigious and well-known film festivals in the world. It includes special screenings, competitions, master classes given by world-renowned filmmakers, tributes, awards and exhibitions among other activities.
This year, DeBorde was featured in three sessions during the Cannes Film Festival week, including a “Acting: Finding the Character’s Voice” workshop, an interactive workshop that focused on helping actors find the distinct traits of their characters and to learn how to effectively bring that to the screen; a “Cross Discipline: Creating Characters to Die For” panel discussion about how to develop compelling characters that audiences connect with; and a “Film Business: How to Break into the Business” workshop in DeBorde shared insight on how to “break into the business.” Taylor, an adjunct professor in the film and creative media program, was also featured in a panel discussion at the festival.
More than 35,000 film professionals and over 4,000 international journalists attended this year’s event. This year’s feature film jury included George Miller, directors, writers, producer and president of the jury; Arnaud Desplechin, director; Kirsten Dunst, actress, director; Valeria Golino, actor, director, producer; Mads Mikkelsen, actor; László Nemes, director, script writer; Vanessa Paradis, actress, singer; Katayoon Shahabi, producer; and Donald Sutherland, actor. Some of the feature films in competition that were screened during the festival included “The Last Face,” directed by Sean Penn; “Rester Vertical (Staying Vertical), directed by Alain Guiraudie; “Loving,” directed by Jeff Nichols; “Patterson,” directed by Jim Jarmusch; and “American Honey,” directed by Andrea Arnold.