Fall semester in Cannes is sometimes overlooked by students, but it really shouldn’t be! Students love the internship and volunteer opportunities in Cannes each spring through AIFS—and of course the Cannes Film Festival has a lot to do with this—but fall semester in this gorgeous city on the French Riviera provides some truly incredible prospects for students abroad. So, if you want to study abroad in France, here are some reasons why you should spend fall semester in Cannes for a most rewarding experience.
It’s important to know Cannes isn’t a huge metropolis. It’s a prestigious resort town that hosts high-level, international events, which makes this a fantastic location to network for personal and professional connections in business, entertainment, media and more.
In addition to the world-renowned film festival, Cannes also hosts MIPCOM, the world’s entertainment content market. MIPCOM gathers “the entire entertainment ecosystem” for opportunities to exhibit, network, conference and hold screenings. This is an opportunity to get connected with a gathering of “the most influential industry players at the year’s most anticipated global market for entertainment content across all platforms,” according to the MIPCOM website.
Recently, Flannery Johnston, one of our AIFS students studying abroad in Cannes, shared her thoughts on why she is especially happy with her decision to choose the fall semester for her time abroad. She also talks about her opportunity to intern with a company that was coming for MIPCOM:
During my fall semester stay in Cannes, I was afforded the priceless opportunity of interning with a production and distribution company at MIPCOM 2016. MIPCOM is one of the largest marketing events globally for film and television distribution.
This internship taught me what really happens when it comes to marketing television and film—in a way that cannot be taught in a classroom. It helped me discover a new passion for distribution, which I never knew I had. I grew as an individual during my time with the company, and I even managed to find time to practice my French, speaking with people from other international film companies!
When I first came to Cannes, I second guessed my choice to come in the fall and not in the spring when the Cannes Film Festival happens. Now, two months into the fall semester, I couldn’t be more glad that I came when I did.
Besides getting to experience MIPCOM, I have had opportunities through AIFS to do such unforgettable things which are only available in the fall. My personal favorite was when we got to pick grapes for wine making with monks on L’île Saint Honorat, which is something than can only be done in September. It was cultural and one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.
Cannes is a place unlike any other, and it is beaming with once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. I will forever be indebted to this city that has brought so much joy into my life.
Learn more about studying abroad in Cannes with AIFS!
