Au Revoir, Cannes

Au Revoir, Cannes

KELLY MASON writes:
OK, first things first. Get all of those the-French-don't-like-Americans and the-French-are-snooty-and-rude ideas out of your head. It's a myth.

Every French person I encountered was kind, accommodating, patient, and willing to forgive me for butchering his or her language. I found no anti-American sentiment here, only people who did their best to help me bumble around their beautiful country.

I am exhausted, my clothes are dirty, and my feet are barely able to support my weight. But this has been the most incredible experience. The 61st Cannes Film Festival teaches us by its existence that nothing lasts forever. Great movies and not-so-great movies, traffic jams and stargazers … for all the glitz and glamour, it only lasts two weeks. After that we'll all be headed home, and we will be free to manifest our Cannes experience in whichever way we choose. Some of us will sleep it off for days; some of us just woke up to the possibilities of our futures, and won't sleep until we've made it.

Of all the souvenirs in my bag, the friends and connections that I made are the ones that I will remember. The shot glasses and "Somebody I love went to Cannes and all I got was this lousy t-shirt" paraphernalia will be passed out and eventually forgotten, but I'll never forget the guy who was so drunk that he overslept and forgot to pick up Jude Law from the airport. (I won't give his name, but just know he will rule the world someday.)

I will also remember the Universal Studio executive who let me pitch to her and was impressed enough with it to ask to read the script. I got good advice, and I might have sold a script. I saw good movies and better movies (watch for Steve McQueen's Hunger), and I had enough jambon and fromage paninis to ensure I never eat another one.

This festival experience was a little like WalMart (or Monoprix in France). You can literally pick up everything in one place. The prices aren't so reasonable, but the quality is unbeatable.

There are tons of stories to share, like when we all banded together to find C.J. because he got lost six blocks from the hotel. Or when Kameishia got Spike Lee's attention long enough to hand him her movie. The simple truth is, though, some of these stories were so funny or touching or intimate that they defy description—even for a writer.

I was honored to be in the company of such talented, wonderful people. Columbia should be proud. We did them as well as they did us, proving that a Columbia College Chicago education opens doors around the world. We stood out, and I guarantee you'll hear from us again.

I am ready to go back to Chicago. I've been all over the world, but there is really no place or nothing like home. Except gelato.

But today, I'll take home.

Au revoir, Cannes.

Screenwriting major Kelly Mason, Film major Jennifer Nelson, and Film & Video department staff member Lyn Pusztai at Cannes.

Kelly Mason is a Screenwriting major.