In my last post, I talked about all of the days seeming like groundhog day. Well if I could have picked any day to groundhog day, it would have been yesterday. My boss gave me the day off and I was finally able to sleep in a little bit. My friend Keith and I were then invited to go out on a small boat to a St. Margarit island about 15 minutes away. The boatride was one of those times where I just paused and took everything in. I could see the city of Cannes off in the distance with the backdrop of the mountains and surrounding me were million dollar yachts in the water. This was just first of the many moments I took in during the day.

Upon arriving to the island we ate at a restaurant on the beach called La Guerite and it was amazing. I had my first taste of calamari as well as completely fresh fish that was caught that day from the sea. I’m normally not a huge fish guy but this was the best fish I’ve ever eaten. After the meal was done, let’s just say the check cost more than Keith and I have in our bank accounts combined.

Keith and I then changed into our swimsuits and went to explore a little bit. We started climbing around all the rocks surrounding the island and we ended up finding this small cove. The scenery was so gorgeous and it almost felt like a dream to witness all that we were seeing. Afterwards we decided to suck it up and swim in the freezing cold ocean. The water was too beautiful and being in the south side of France made it a must to jump in. The water was even colder than I expected and it took the wind out of me. It was crystal clear enough to see the bottom but I could barely enjoy it because I was so cold. After getting out as soon as I could, it was great to catch some sunrays and just think about everything happening on the trip.

Once we finished drying we took a speedboat back to the mainland and it was time to get ready for the Fair Game premiere. It was my fifth and final time going up the red carpet and it was a little bittersweet knowing it would be the last one. The movie was pretty good and the fact that it’s a true story made it very compelling. I actually fell asleep for 20 minutes and it marked that every movie I’ve seen in the Grand Lumiere theatre this festival I’ve fallen asleep at. The chairs are so comfy and it’s so dark it’s hard not to fall asleep after a long days work.

When the screening was over we headed over to the Fair Game afterparty. Naomi Watts and Doug Liman were in attendance and Keith and I set our goal to meet Miss Watts. We finally found her as she was leaving and Keith stepped up to the plate and asked her if we could get “one last picture” before she left. She thought about it for a second and agreed. I told her I worked for Summit and was very nice even though we spent probably only two minutes together. Even though she looks a little old, she is still very gorgeous and beautiful. We really have no idea how many high class people were at that party last night.

After the party was over we met up with some people from our class and found another party and the DJ was killin’ it. He was playing all house music and doing a really great job at mixing. Keith, Jessie and I got up on the couches and the tables and started dancing and going crazy. The DJ started playing Billie Jean and Keith started busting out his MJ moves. It was truly an amazing day, from the beach, to red carpet to all the after parties. I am seriously having the most incredible time of my life right now. I have never even been “hooked up” like this ever in my life. My boss even said, “What you’re experiencing is not a normal Cannes experience.” It is so astonishing to hear that and humbling to be apart of Summit Entertainment and benefit from working hard for them. This trip has been beyond anything I could ever imagine. If you had told me the experiences I would be able to do during this time I would never have believed you. The Lord has blessed me beyond what I could ever dream. It’s been so great to see all of my hard work pay off. Stuff with Summit is pretty much all wrapped up, so I will be able to enjoy a couple days of vacation. I’m looking to go explore the town a little more and go to the beach again. It’s Keith 21^st birthday tomorrow and we’re looking to go to an exclusive club called VIP where 50 cent will be playing. It should be a great last night in Cannes. I don’t want to come home, but I know this is not real life so the train has to stop eventually. I’ll be sad once its over but it will be good back to reality and take everything I’ve learned and apply it.

The Wolfpack...

Dessert at the Ritz

Party with the Brazilians

All the days seem to be the same lately. I heard someone describe this whole film festival process as “Groundhog day”. I really can’t think of a better example. This experience has been amazing but it’s very easy to lose track of what day it is or even the time. It’s such a fun and crazy lifestyle but I’m not sure if I could do this all the time.

I can do what I was able to do last night, partying with the Brazilians. My friends and I escorted my boss to this Brazilian distributor party. We went to this incredible house and there was lots of music, drinks and fun involved. The highlight of the night was being introduced as some of the new stars in the Twilight movie, specifically in Taylor Laughnter’s Wolfpack. My boss is pretty high up in Summit so, it was really funny having her introduce us as that. After that, we went and hung out at the Ritz Carlton for little while and had some great conversation with some people in the industry.

During the day I was able to meet with one of the head sales agents from Summit and we had a great conversation about the business side of the movies, especially distribution. It’s very complicated process but exciting new stuff to learn.

I was also able to meet Doug Liman, the director of Fair Game and also of the Bourne Identity. He is a very nice man and a great director. The screening for Fair Game is tomorrow and there should be some exciting activities involved, especially the after party. I’m hoping to meet stars. Stay tuned for updates!

Appliance Direct

Well, I’ve finally figured out what the one thing I don’t like about Europe and Cannes: figuring out how to use European appliances. Whether it’s flipping a door lock the other way or trying to use the dishwasher or even trying to open a door itself. Well tonight showed itself the toughest challenge of them all, trying to use the washing machine. As Tom Garrett says, “You need a P.H.D to try and figure out how to use these things”. So I went to open the washer door and had zero clue that it was full of water. I opened the door and the floodgates just opened. It felt like an epic movie scene trying to close the washer door so that the water would stop pouring out. It finally shut and there was water everywhere. We only had 2-3 towels in the room so I had to find a big bed sheet to clean it all up. It was by the far the biggest epic fail of the whole trip so far. Thankfully it has to do with my living situation, not my internship.

The craziness at Summit has slowed down just a little bit. But things will gear up again as we get ready for their Fair Game Premiere, Thursday. The CEO of Summit got into Cannes today and I was able to meet him. It’s quite remarkable the amount high-end people I’ve met despite still being a student. The highlight of my day today was being treated to lunch by my sweet boss, Deborah. She took us the Majestic Beach restaurant located on the beach in Cannes. It was absolutely beautiful and I didn’t feel worthy to be at such a ritzy place. Deborah actually told me today that the reason she picked me for this internship was because of my opening statement in my resume. This flattered me very much and it was encouraging to hear that this business is not all about experience. She has been an amazing boss and such a joy to work with, I’m so blessed to have met her, yet alone work for her. She is very willing to help me in my career. The Fair Game screening is this week so stay tuned for those events!