16 Loyola Marymount University students interned at the LA Greek Film Festival (LAGFF) this spring, through classics professor Katerina Zacharia’s “Representations of Greece: Ancient and Modern” course. Student interns collectively watched over 160 films and assisted in the final selection of the LAGFF line-up; interns also conducted interviews with LAGFF leadership, and reviewed portfolios for the International Project Discovery Forum, a cross-cultural film development program for United States and Greek/Balkan-based independent filmmakers. Check out their blogs.
A few LMU students took on additional internship experiences at the Festival itself, which took place June 1-5 at the Egyptian Theater in Los Angeles.
As an on-site LAGFF intern, English major and Classics and Archaeology minor André Enriquez ’17 supported the International Project Discovery Forum track, a series of workshops for independent filmmakers working on international and cross-cultural projects. In this role, he saw master classes with Greek filmmakers, and watched aspiring filmmakers workshop their film pitches. “I couldn’t have asked for a more immersive first step into the world of Greek cinema or festival culture,” he said. “I have a newfound appreciation for global communication through creativity.”
This is the second year that LMU’s Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts and School of Film and Television have partnered with the LAGFF, and it represents a significant expansion in LMU’s involvement. This year, in addition to the student internship experiences, 2 SFTV faculty members also served as jury members for the shorts program. Zacharia, who forged the creative partnership, has been teaching Greek cinema at LMU for 15 years and also serves as Director of Education and Culture for the LAGFF.
The “Representations of Greece: Ancient and Modern” course is on BCLA’s growing list of internship courses, offered as part of the College’s commitment to pre-professional development and engaged learning opportunities for students in all disciplines.
