Pictured left to right: Will Jones, Megan Stewart, Zoe Frassinelli, Oanh Trieu, Justice Perrier, Julia Dent, Kaitlyn Steinroeder, led by professor Anne Quinney of the Modern Languages Department, attend a beach screening at the Cannes Film Festival in France.
By Will Jones
The Cannes Film Festival – the most prestigious cinematic festival in the world – celebrated its 75th anniversary this year, hosting dozens of film premieres for 40,000 attendees, including a lucky few University of Mississippi students led by professor Anne Quinney of the Modern Languages Department.
I am grateful to say I was one of those in attendance, completing an academic study abroad requirement while seeing 22 films in 12 days, in addition to experiencing the wonderful environment of Cannes and beyond.
Filmmakers from countries around the world gathered on the French Riviera to present their films to audiences, often for the first time. These 12 days spanned May 17-28, bookended by a star-studded opening ceremony and an award-granting closing ceremony.
This year’s international festivities shined an appropriate spotlight on the struggles of Ukraine, with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivering an impassioned virtual speech at the opening ceremony.
“Will the cinema keep quiet or will it speak up?” Zelenskyy said. “Everything depends on our unity.”
Read the full article on The Daily Mississippian.
