For aspiring filmmakers, there is no classroom quite like the Cannes Film Festival.
Each spring, filmmakers, studio executives, producers, distributors, and creatives from around the globe gather on the French Riviera for the world’s most influential film festival and marketplace. For many students, attending Cannes is a dream. For Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) students, it is an opportunity to gain firsthand industry experience while still earning their degrees.
For the second consecutive year, students studying abroad at SCAD Lacoste in Provence, France, traveled to the Cannes Film Festival through SCAD’s partnership with The American Pavilion and IndieWire’s Future of Filmmaking program. There, students attended industry events, connected with entertainment professionals, and shared their own stories through interviews with IndieWire.
The experience reflects SCAD’s distinctive approach to film education. Home to SCAD Film Studios — the largest film and television studio complex in higher education — the university provides students with opportunities to work on professional productions, collaborate with industry leaders, and gain real-world experience before graduation. Through initiatives like the Professional Production Placement Program, students build professional networks, résumés, and confidence while still in school.
The long-term impact of those opportunities can be seen in the success of SCAD alumna Chloe Lipp, who first attended Cannes with SCAD in 2008 and returned this year as an accomplished entertainment industry professional.
Today, Lipp has more than 16 years of experience in film and television, with credits that include “Stranger Things,” “The Mandalorian,” “Ahsoka,” “The Book of Boba Fett,” and “Hidden Figures.” Her journey demonstrates how experiences that begin as a student can evolve into a successful career in the entertainment industry.
“I actually came here in 2008, so this is my second time here,” Lipp said. “My first time was with my senior thesis from SCAD, and now I’m here with some of my best girlfriends who also work in the industry. It’s an amazing experience, so it’s wild to be back.”
For the next generation of SCAD filmmakers attending Cannes, Lipp’s return served as a powerful example of what is possible when creative talent is paired with industry access and professional preparation.
Chloe Lipp, SCAD 2008 Graduate
For junior film and television student Jennifer Zicha, the experience represented an opportunity to push beyond expectations and envision new possibilities for her future.
“Being at Cannes means pushing limits. I’m a first generation college student, so being here is really defying and pushing what my family has done before me,” said Zicha. “It’s creating new connections and new possibilities for my family’s future as well.”
A producer and filmmaker with a background in dance, Zicha has already developed experience leading large-scale productions at SCAD, building the collaboration, leadership, and problem-solving skills that are essential to professional filmmaking.
Jennifer Zicha, Current SCAD Student
For rising senior Caitlyn McLaughlin, Cannes reinforced the creative ambitions that inspired her to pursue a career behind the camera.
“At the age of 11, I realized I was auditioning for roles with characters that I didn’t feel connected to, and that’s how I got into film,” said McLaughlin. “I want to write and I want to direct, that’s my concentration at SCAD. I want to inspire people to have different ways of storytelling and challenge the way people usually think.”
While studying abroad at SCAD Lacoste, McLaughlin has continued developing her voice as a filmmaker through documentary and narrative projects while also helping connect fellow students with industry mentors and opportunities through SCAD’s Production Office.
Caitlyn McLaughlin, Current SCAD Student
Recent graduate Sarah Cai approached Cannes through the lens of a producer focused on building relationships and understanding the global entertainment industry.
“I think Cannes is like a huge magnet, attracting people from all over the world,” Cai said. “My focus is producing, I want to start in commercials because that’s the industry that will always keep going, and I can get a lot of experience as a producer and eventually make a feature film.”
Today, Cai is building an international career in production while continuing to develop original film projects in France, demonstrating how SCAD graduates enter the industry with both creative ambition and a global perspective.
Sarah Cai, SCAD 2024 Graduate
The connections to SCAD continue to pay dividends for decades to come. Thomas Verrette, a successful director, editor, and producer who worked on the Cannes film “Dernsie: The Amazing Life of Bruce Dern,” explains how his SCAD education continues to share the way he approaches his film career.
“I wanted to go to SCAD because I knew I could start shooting on pretty much Day 1 on a professional set where people had roles and I think that has a really big impact on how much you care about continuing to pursue that path as you go forward,” Verrette said. “One thing that I’ll never forget, my professor at the time was explaining that if you’re on set as a PA and you’re just starting out, just keep working. You want to be as useful as possible instead of just waiting for someone to tell you what to do. Bring a C-stand with a flag kit next to the gaffer while he’s putting that light on. He may not need it, but if he does, you just saved everyone five minutes. For me as a director, it helped me realize that every piece of the puzzle really does add up.”
Thomas Verrette, SCAD 2007 Graduate
Although their career goals differ, each student or alumni’s experience at Cannes highlights a defining characteristic of a SCAD education: access. Access to industry leaders, professional networks, international perspectives, and opportunities that help transform talented students into working filmmakers.
For the students who walked the Croisette this year, Cannes was more than an unforgettable experience. It was a glimpse into the future they are actively building through their education at SCAD.
At SCAD, students don’t simply study filmmaking. They enter the industry while they’re still earning their degrees.