Creative Minds in Cannes opens doors for film students

The film program, Creative Minds in Cannes (CMIC), provides an opportunity for student filmmakers to gain exposure and experience to launch their careers in the film industry.

Created by Robert Ford in 2005, the program brings hundreds of students to France to partake in the famous Cannes Film Festival. The CMIC founder and CEO developed the idea for the program when he received the Kodak Student Filmmaker Award, which gave him the opportunity to attend the festival in 2004.

The two-week program includes three different areas for students to explore. The first is the Internship Experience, which gives student experience working with the festival. Some students will even receive tickets to attend black tie or red carpet world premiere screenings. There are also workshops and social events such as bar hopping and karaoke.

The 2009 CMIC offered participants the chance to discuss in depth, various topics in workshops like "Writing a Spec Script,” "How to Find Finance and Distribution,” "Film Public Relations 101: How to Create a Buss" and "Marketing, Merchandising and Product Management."

The second area is known as the Filmmaker Institute. Here, students will complete a five-minute short film to be screened as part of the "We Made It" short film portion of the festival. After viewing the film, panels of industry professionals judge the short films and the top three-filmmaking teams are awarded a prize.

Students of the Filmmaker Institute will also have access to daily networking happy hours, filmmaker workshops and cinema master classes hosted by marquee filmmakers such as Quentin Tarantino, Martin Scorsese and Sydney Pollack.

The Network Connection element of the program allows students to set up pitch meetings and gain access to prestigious networking events that give them the opportunity to connect with industry professionals and create a network. Throughout the day these students also attend workshops, watch films and attend CMIC events and festival parties.

"We try to keep this balance of work and entertainment," Ford says. Through screenings and these networking happy hours, students are able to meet with their favorite writers and directors to both learn and gain valuable contacts.

Jesse Newman, a student from the University of South Florida, was able to meet one of his favorite screenwriters Charlie Kaufman. "I met privately, conversed and connected with Kaufman, which was so beyond belief for me that it nearly brought me to tears."

The 2010 CMIC film program will take place from May 10 to  24. The application process began on Sept. 14, consisting of two stages, one for early decision applicants and the other for general applicants. The program fees range from $2,000 to $2,500. The process is highly selective as the program only takes about 60 students for each program.

Ford strongly recommends applying for the early decision so students will have time to raise the money required for the program by stating, "A lot of kids do fundraisers to pay for the program. If you're accepted you, easily have four or five months to raise the money as opposed to a few weeks if you were to apply later."

Coming from an extensive background in television as a producer and editor, Ford believes this program to be a valuable stepping-stone for young filmmakers.

"I look at the student realistically as a possible next generation Spielberg or Scorsese and help them with the contacts that I have." He too was once a young filmmaker with a passion for creating films and recognizes many of the new talent that finds its way into the program.

The biggest thing student filmmakers will find within the CMIC program will be exposure and contacts. Their films will be screened at the festival which may result in working on the front lines of many major companies such as AMC TV, 20th Century Fox,
Paramount Vantage, Summit Entertainment, International Creative Management, William Morris Agency and the United Talent Agency to name a few.

"I've established a great rapport with some of these major companies. I feel like I'm in a very pivotal position," Ford says.

No matter how expansive the program will become he will still be the same filmmaker whose love for The Godfather lead him to obtain the vital industry contacts he plans to share with CMIC students.