This week I will be working on publicity for the American Pavilion and will cover their events via social media. I love keeping my finger on the pulse of all the action so it should be helpful to get experience with it. During training we also heard from the fabulous Lucious Barre, a producer and Cannes-goer for over fifteen years, who talked on the preservation of quality film content amidst the rising trends of our image-oriented culture, and the types of problems that this culture brings to the industry. “Not every festival will embrace a film at its time,” he says. “And after the film agents we have the cults of celebrity.” In a somewhat unfortunate way, the presence of a recognizable celebrity within a film brings about an association towards the film and therefore a positive outcome in the market. This focus on the film’a marketability can draw away from the its actual content and credibility. Barre sees the pattern of this trend and says that, “we have now been looking for celebrities to inspire us and show us the way foreword” rather than the message itself. This ideal celebrity presence makes the film as worldly recognized as possible, and there is not a better environment to see this pattern than Cannes. However, the hope that Cannes provides gives an atmosphere that can distinguish content and manipulated marketing. “At Cannes we gather to see emerging trends, and if there’s any safe place where You can listen to others speak about their dreams, it’s Cannes” These dreams, he argues, ultimately create a cinematic masterpiece.