| Personal details |
|---|
| Degree: | Film Studies MLitt (Distinction) |
|
| School(s): | School of Philosophy, Anthropology & Film Studies |
| Year of Graduation: | Jun-2010 |
| LinkedIn: | |
| National of: | Canada |
| Employment details |
|---|
| Organisation: | Toronto International Film Festival and Toronto-Romanian Film Festival |
| Job title: | Programming Associate - Toronto International Film Festival Programmer - Toronto-Romanian Film Festival |
| Occupational Sector: | Film |
| What has been your route to getting your current position? |
|---|
| After graduating with a specialist in Cinema Studies at the University
of Toronto, I went on to co-found the Toronto-Romanian Film Festival,
taking the position as head programmer. Given my love of film, I
enrolled in the Film Studies MLitt at St. Andrews, which led to my
position as programming associate of the Toronto International Film
Festival. Without a doubt, it was my continuing studies at St. Andrews
that led to a more developed understanding of cinema.
Chronologically, my path is easily traced from my BA in Cinema
Studies at the University of Toronto to the foundation and operation of
the Toronto-Romanian Film Festival, continuing through to my MA in Film
Studies at St. Andrews University. Yet no matter how important each step
might be within its own contextual merit(s), my studies in St. Andrews
were integral to cementing my position within the film festival world.
|
| What does your job involve ? |
|---|
| The Programming Associate position requires me to research and
pre-screen films for the programmer I am working with, assist in any
preparations for the festival and ultimately host festival guests,
introduce films and moderate Q & A sessions.
Tasks aside, the role pre-supposes a significant amount of research
and requires a breadth of knowledge and communication skills - all very
challenging and rewarding without being taxing. Working closely with a
festival programmer on every significant aspect of a film’s presentation
at the festival (short of travel, accommodation, technical support)
means that not only do I have to be fully prepared for an intense period
of organization, but that I also engage with each filmmaker and
festival/industry guest on a constant basis.
|
| What are the best bits of your job ? |
|---|
| Platitudes aside, there is no bigger satisfaction than witnessing the
magic of cinema: seeing a film unravel and captivate a receptive
audience, leading to a charged but personal discussion between spectator
and filmmaker. The wealth of knowledge and unique artistic visions that
you connect with - be they from first-time filmmakers or established
masters - confer the worldview that life begets art and vice-versa.
Ultimately, being exposed to the dynamic networks of cinema and its
global industries that unify within a festival is the icing on the cake |
| Why were you successful? |
|---|
| Moving beyond the rigors of academia was essential to expanding my
career opportunities. Publishing and taking part in any artistic
curatorial projects not only developed my adaptive skills for the film
festival industry, but it also provided the real-life research that one
needs in order to fully immerse oneself within the industry and art of
cinema. |
| What skills/ knowledge from your degree have you found particularly helpful in this role? |
|---|
| Ensuring that I consistently surrounded myself with a diverse and
plentiful amount of information (i.e. analytical research skills) was
one of the most important and intellectually stimulating aspects of my
academic career. The renowned faculty of Cinema at St. Andrews
University as well as its inspiring students provides a fertile
environment for such research and discussion. This critical drive for
knowledge that the university fostered was the most essential skill that
helped me in my current position(s). |
| What advice would you give to students wishing to follow the same path? |
|---|
| There is no exact recipe or pathway that one needs to follow. Both
academia and the film festival circuit are networks that require from
you a continual desire for research and/or publishing. The more open you
make yourself to different avenues of knowledge and force that
inquisitive drive to produce, the broader your experiences will be and
consequently, the more opportunities you will have at the end of the
day. As simple as it may sound, networking - in the purest social form
of human connectivity and intellectual stimulation - is also an
important skill that one should focus on.
Lastly, make the most of your education at St. Andrews University and
enjoy every minute of it - it is an experience like no other!
|
