91Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ

I would like to start by thanking the donors of the Arts Undergraduate Improvement Fund for their generous support. My name is Romane Musquet, I am a U3 Computer Science and Cultural Studies student at 91Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ. I am passionate about cinema and media, and I’m curious about the world of event planning and cultural events.

As a Cultural Studies student, any opportunity to learn more about media and cinema is incredibly valuable. Given that this field is not always the most accessible, discovering the opportunity to contribute to a film festival was particularly exciting, and I did not hesitate to apply. My main objectives for this internship were to gain hands-on experience in the industry and to develop a concrete understanding of how recreational and cultural events are organized from start to finish.

My host organization, Vision Méditerranéenne, is dedicated to organizing non-profit cultural events, with a particular focus on film screenings. Their mission is to promote cinema and foster cultural exchange through carefully curated projections and related activities.

During my internship, I contributed to several aspects of the festival’s operations. I helped organize and maintain the mailing list to ensure effective communication with our target audience. I also created marketing content for social media and advertising campaigns, aiming to increase engagement and visibility for events. In addition, I assisted with on-site logistics during film projections, ensuring smooth operations for attendees. Finally, I worked on setting up various platforms designed to both improve the festival’s visibility and make festival operations more efficient.

Much of our screenings were related to Italian cinema and culture. In my previous semester, I had taken a course on Italian cinema, which proved particularly relevant on the subject. The knowledge gained in that class helped me feel more confident and allowed me to approach the task with a greater understanding and calmer mindset.

One fond memory from this experience took place during the first festival, which spanned several days. Before each projection, my supervisor would give a short speech to thank those who made the event possible and to provide some context about the upcoming screening. On the second day, he mentioned my name along with my colleagues’, over the microphone in front of a fully booked theater. It was completely unexpected, and we were all deeply touched. That moment made us feel truly appreciated and motivated us to work even harder for the rest of the festival.

During projections, guests came in with pre-booked tickets, and my colleague and I were responsible for greeting them and checking their names. At first, we encountered some organizational challenges when trying to keep track of guests. We were using printed sheets and a pencil, but we quickly realized this method was inefficient as it was difficult to locate names. To resolve this, we switched to using Excel spreadsheets, which made the process faster and more organized, ensuring the smooth running of events.

This internship has strengthened my interest in working within the cultural and media industries, particularly in event organization. The skills I learned, both in the creative and logistical aspects of running a film festival, will be helpful in future professional opportunities. The award I received was instrumental in making this possible, as it allowed me to dedicate myself to the internship without worrying about financial constraints.

Since the internship took place over the course of the entire summer, having funding was crucial to help cover essential expenses such as transportation and living costs. This support allowed me to make the most of the learning opportunities it offered.

Thank you to the donors of the Arts Undergraduate Improvement Fund for making this experience possible!