For most film students, being a part of the Cannes Film Festival is the ultimate goal. And for a lucky group of Syracuse University students, the dream became a reality.

The Cannes Film Festival is held each year in Cannes, France, and is the premier festival for filmmakers around the world. Movies that receive positive reviews at their first showings at Cannes often generate Oscar buzz. The films that premiered at Cannes in May will hit theaters this summer.

The American Pavilion, a communications and hospitality center that caters to industry heavyweights and Cannes Film Festival-goers, came to the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications last fall to talk with students about its Cannes internship program. The American Pavilion offered several options for students, including film, culinary, business and hospitality, and event management programs.

The internship was selective: after a rigorous application process, students were notified of their acceptance via email in mid-December.

“Getting that email was probably one of the most exciting moments of my life,” said Alex Rosenberg, a junior television, radio and film major.

Rosenberg worked as a publicity intern for The American Pavilion, updating the organization’s website and its social media sites. She helped to accommodate the many speakers who attended the festival, ensuring that everything ran smoothly. The two-week stay also allowed for many different opportunities.

“It was a cool job because my writing and photography got published, and I got to meet a lot of the speakers,” Rosenberg said. “There were some really cool speakers, there were the big names, but even cooler were the people you’d never heard of, or at least I hadn’t.”

Ian Tecklin, a sophomore television, radio and film major, said he most enjoyed the opportunity to see the business side of the film industry firsthand. He learned about film distribution, film financing, production and different jobs in the industry.

Rosenberg and Tecklin both noted celebrity presence at the festival, which is known for being a star-studded affair. Alec Baldwin and Harvey Weinstein were in attendance, as were a bevy of other big names: Brad Pitt, Bill Murray, Bruce Willis and Paris Hilton were all sighted on the red carpet. Though none of the interns got to meet any movie stars, they managed to sneak into a private bash thrown by Hilton.

But the biggest draw of the festival, of course, was the films. More then 20 motion pictures competed for the Palme d’Or, the highest prize awarded to a director at the festival. The 20 films showing under the category “Un Certain Regard” were original works hailing from all over the world. One lucky winner received the Camera d’Or, the prize for the best overall film at the festival.

“‘Beasts of the Southern Wild’ ended up winning the Camera d’or at Cannes,” Rosenberg said. “The people who made it were so inspiring — and young.”

The film, directed by Benh Zeitlin, is the story of a 6-year-old girl named Hushpuppy who goes in search of her mother at a time when the world is in turmoil: temperatures are rising, icecaps are melting and an army of prehistoric creatures are infesting the Earth. The film will hit theaters June 27, and Rosenberg believes mainstream audiences will appreciate it, especially since director Zeitlin was inspired by the America’s favorite monster movie, “Jaws.”

Robbie Ezratty, a junior television, radio and film major who also interned at Cannes, chose “Rust and Bone” and “The Hunt,” both foreign films, as his favorite flicks.

“I think any audience would receive these very well if they can deal with the simplest of subtitles that do nothing but add to the film for you,” he said.

“Rust and Bone,” a French film, stars Marion Cotillard as a whale trainer who suffers a horrible accident. The film is entirely in French and doesn’t open stateside until Nov. 16.

“The Hunt” is a Danish film starring Mads Mikkelsen, who audiences will recognize as the villain from “Casino Royale.” The film follows the story of a kindergarten teacher falsely accused of child abuse, a topic that is especially prevalent in light of recent events in the United States. “The Hunt” is set to release in Denmark in January 2013, but American audiences may have a hard time catching it in theaters. As of now, there is no planned U.S. release.

Despite the prestige of the Cannes Film Festival, both Rosenberg and Tecklin agreed they saw some truly terrible films, including “White Elephant” or “Elefante Blanco,” which Tecklin said he walked out of.

Rosenberg said the worst films for her were the market screenings, films not within the official selection of the festival. They were shown in the market, what she called “the film version of Wall Street,” where films that had so far been unable to find distribution went.

“Some of the films were so bad, we were in tears laughing at how ridiculous they were,” she said.

Bad movies aside, Rosenberg, Tecklin and Ezratty all agreed they would recommend the experience to other students in a heartbeat.

Said Tecklin: “There’s really nothing better than being in the south of France at the world’s most prestigious film festival, eating amazing food and seeing amazing movies.”

Published on June 26, 2012 at 12:20 pm

Contact Avery: avhartma@syr.edu | @averyhartmans