Penn Summer Abroad
Locales
Penn-in-Cannes, France
Main | Description | Curriculum
In preparation for fieldwork at the Cannes Film Festival in May 14-25, 2008, introductory lectures will be held in late March and middle April 2008 on Penn campus to enable students to establish a critical vocabulary for film study. The lectures and subsequent discussions will examine: a) The Business and Art of the Film Festival; b) Contemporary International Cinema; c) History of the Cannes Film Festival. These 3-hour introductory lectures will be held in March 28 and April 18, 2008, on Penn campus. Reading list for these pre-departure lectures will be provided at the time of the first lecture. Students should submit a 5-8 pages in length typed pre-departure paper on these introductory lectures by May 2, 2008.
Those introductory lectures will be coordinated with the Philadelphia Film Festival, which is held on April 3-16, 2008. Attendance required to 6 screenings of the Philadelphia Film Festival.
During both the Philadelphia Film Festival and the Cannes Film Festival, students attend screenings of current international films, applying the critical tools and knowledge of the film industry gained from their earlier work. Students research and critique both the artistic aspects and the commercial prospects of the films screened. They will be expected to view a certain number of international films, submit a “pre-departure” paper, keep a journal, attend regular meetings, and submit a final research essay.
In Cannes, keep a daily journal of the films you have seen, what you have observed, people you have met, what the experience of being in Cannes at the Festival means to you. Minimum amount for each entry in the daily journal is 250 words.
In Cannes, see the following types of films, not just American blockbusters. Keep a “scorecard” in your journal of titles, credits and your responses to these films:
- at least four documentaries
- at least four films that you think will not open theatrically in the United States
- at least four films from three different countries from which you have never seen a film before;
- four films made by notable non-American directors
- four first (debut) features by American directors
- four films directed by women
- three films (retrospectives) of "classic" American or foreign films. One must be a “silent” film.
Discuss all of these films in your journals and in the typed copies you are handing in with your papers.
In Cannes, we will have general meetings and also guest lectures during the Festival at our guests’ convenience. Participation in these meetings and guest lectures is mandatory.
Your final paper should be a synthesis of what you learned in Cannes. It should be 15-20 pages in length, typed, and is due by July 15, 2008, along with a selection of 10 typed full daily entries from your journal.
Before and during the Festival read Variety, Hollywood Reporter, The New York Times and other sources so that you have some idea of what is happening in the industry and what films will be screened. Also check out the Cannes Film Festival website.
Introductory lectures at Penn will be held in completely A/V equipped classrooms available on campus. In Cannes, classes and lectures will be held in similar classrooms at the Collège International de Cannes, 1 Rue du Docteur A. Pascal, 06400 CANNES – FRANCE.
Course enrollment will not exceed 30 students.