Working at the Cannes Film Festival – Alumni Stories, Alexandre Mexis
Dear Friends,
I was an Erasmus student at Ripon and York St John from September 1992, to June 1994. I now teach both English language, and English literature in Fréjus, in the South of France. I live in St Raphaël, just a few kilometres away from Cannes, where I enjoy going, especially for the Film Festival in May. I now have accreditation for the Festival, and write reports about the films I see, and the events I take part in. All of this is thanks to my work in class on cinema and Europe, but in fact, it all started when I was in York…
Indeed, I remember following a course called ‘The West and the American Cinema’. It was divided in 3 parts: watching a western, studying the American history during the Conquest of the West, and linking this to the history of the years in which the films were set.
In addition to this, being away from home and studying in England, led me to become an English teacher, and also helped me build strong links with other European friends that I met during those two years.
This is the reason why, when I became a teacher, I started organizing European exchanges, and I’m now working on a European Comenius exchange programme called CinEdu (cinema + education) with schools from Holland, Belgium and Italy, where our students shoot scenes of Romeo and Juliet in English. We also participate in the Short Film Festival of Fréjus, and this year one of my classes will spend a day at the Cannes Film Festival. I also teach at University, and encourage my students (who specialize in both the internet, and cinema) to develop their skills and knowledge through English.
I will have the opportunity stay during the whole festival to write reports on films, and to present a selection from some of the different categories (Official Competition, Un Certain Regard, The Directors’ Fortnight, La Semaine de la Critique, ACID or Cannes Classics) to teachers, and students in cinema, who will have come from all over France, as well as some also coming from abroad. Yet, what I particularly enjoy is meeting cinema professionals from all over the world at the foreign pavilions, the Film market and the Short Film Corner, or during the numerous special events the Festival offers every year. I really enjoy meeting people from all over the world, something that definitely dates back to my years in Ripon and York!
All the best,
Alexandre
