Activity: French Film Festival
Working languages: French/English (fluent)
Term: Minimum of four months and a maximum of eight months to prepare the 17th Annual VCU French Film Festival being held on March 27-29, 2009.
Internship start date: September 2008
Remuneration: Unpaid internship
Items to submit in application: CV/Cover letter in English
Interviews: By telephone and in person in Paris
Number of positions to be filled: Three

The VCU French Film Festival, created in 1993 in Richmond, Va., is an American initiative aimed to promote French cinema as well as French language and culture in the U.S. It seeks to develop the distribution of French films in the U.S. and also encourages the study of French in American universities and high schools. For 16 years, the VCU French Film Festival has earned an excellent reputation both in the U.S. and in France. It is the biggest French film festival in the U.S.

Its small structure (five people working full-time, plus a team of about 15 American interns) enables interns to have responsibilities and work in relative autonomy on their assigned tasks, while working effectively within a team.

Festival programming, involving:

• Screening of French feature films, short films, and documentaries.
• Assistance in confirming participation of French directors and actors.
• Creation of program book: magazine-style writing, in French and English, editing and translating film descriptions, critical analyses and compiling filmographies.
• Personalized schedules for actors and directors during festival.
• Correspondence, event invitations and thank you letters, etc.
• Archiving.

Marketing development, involving:

• Updating database of current and potential sponsors and donors.
• Creating, writing, editing and translating promotional documents, in French and English.
• Supervising American interns in charge of marketing and promotional material distribution; assignment of sectors.
• Securing all sponsors’/donors’ promotional material for festival Web site, postcards, posters, program and event (ads, slides, logos, clips, etc.).
• Correspondence, event invitations and thank you letters, etc.
• Archiving.

Media and public relations, involving:

• Securing national, French, and international press support, as well as community support.
• Writing in French and English, editing and translating festival promotional documents, press releases and press kits.
• Updating database of current and potential media covering festival.
• Organizing a televised telethon with Community Idea Stations (PBS).
• Supervision of American interns in charge of advertising material distribution; assignment of sectors.
• Creation of media coverage kit with all written, TV, radio and film material covering festival.
• Correspondence, event invitations and thank you letters to media representatives, etc.
• Archiving.

Outreach: furthering the community’s understanding and appreciation of French cinema, involving:

• Organizing mass mailings and promotional material distribution.
• Updating main database of French educators, students and other potential festival attendees.
• Scheduling and conducting class visits to high schools and universities.
• Supervising American interns assisting with class visits.
• Organizing, scheduling and advertising festival master classes.
• Updating festival Web site.
• Correspondence, event invitations and thank you letters, etc.
• Archiving.

*All interns will participate in additional group activities such as film screenings, making and laminating passes, selling passes, answering phones at telethons, event management, etc. and will be asked to help one another at crucial times with editing the festival program, creating and distributing promotional material, conducting class visits, updating the festival Web site, creating personalized schedules for members of the delegation, preparing the Byrd Theatre for the festival, etc.

Contact
Jennifer Gore
VCU French Film Festival
916 West Franklin Street, Room 205
P.O. Box 843073
Richmond, Virginia 23284-3073 USA
www.frenchfilm.vcu.edu

Applications and requests for information should be sent exclusively by e-mail to frenchfilm@vcu.edu.