Creative Minds at Cannes select Emerson students

Thousands of film festivals take place annually across the globe, but few are more venerated than Cannes, the film showcase and competition that takes place in the south of France each spring.

Emerson’s own Alexandra Hough, a BFA student in the Department of Writing, Literature and Publishing, and David Weaver, a Visual Media Arts major, have been selected by a film internship program called Creative Minds in Cannes to attend this year’s festival. The festival will run May 11–22 and will be presided over by actor Robert De Niro.

“I read on Emerson’s eCampus site that the VMA Department was holding an info session on the program back in November; I was unable to attend, so I researched the program online.”

–Alexandra Hough, Writing, Literature and Publishing

After being accepted in January, Hough wasted no time in beginning to fundraise in order to reduce the financial burden that comes with traveling abroad. She quickly established a website in which contributors could donate to her cause, and she promised to send benefactors updates via postcards straight from the festival.

Kicking off Cannes this year will be a new Woody Allen romantic comedy. Midnight in Paris, starring Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams, completes his trilogy of films revolving around famous European cities. The new film is already creating a buzz among festival-goers.

Hough is hoping the festival will broaden her views on film, as well as her contact list. “I hope to network with buyers and agents to secure future opportunities in the industry,” she noted. She plans to bring several screenplays and a TV pilot script in hopes of meeting the right representative.

Creative Minds in Cannes will also offer the students opportunities to attend a series of exclusive workshops, screenings, and meetings with industry professionals not open to the average festival-goer.