Front row at Melbourne International Film Festival
For over a decade, students from the Faculty of Arts have been amongst the action of the Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF).
From helping to program the world’s best films, to evaluating the community impact of international film festivals, students from the University benefit from internship opportunities with one of the world’s oldest film festivals, alongside Cannes and Berlin.
It began with an idea: to connect screen studies students with industry for career development. Over 13 years later, the idea grew into an established partnership spanning a range of disciplines and courses across the University. Now, each year a group of passionate students make their way to MIFF headquarters to work with industry professionals and international filmmakers.
‘The partnership with MIFF provides incredible value for career and work experiences, especially for students interested in screen studies.’ Said Wendy Haslem, a lecturer in Screen Studies in the School of Culture and Communication.
Now in its 66th year, the Festival has become the world’s largest showcase of Australian filmmaking and is one of the world’s most established international film festivals. In 2017 alone, MIFF will showcase 356 films representing 68 languages across 18 days.
MIFF’s program has been supported with the help of enthusiastic, talented and creative students who have helped put world-class film centre stage in Melbourne.
Bree chose to complete her internship with MIFF to enhance the knowledge and experience of her Master of Marketing Communications program and sought an experience that would allow her to be part of the process and to make difference. As part of her internship she developed a social and cultural impact study that will inform the future strategy of MIFF.
‘From my internship I have learned how to measure the cultural and social impact of an arts program like the Melbourne International Film Festival. The experience ties in neatly with where I’d like to take my career.’
Other internship roles Arts students have performed with MIFF include: assistant programmer, program editor, venue manager, visiting filmmaker liaison and a wide range of roles across social media and event management.
The Faculty of Arts and the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) are learning partners with the Melbourne International Film Festival. The Festival will run 3-20 August around Melbourne City. Visit miff.com.au
The Faculty of Arts offers over 18 graduate coursework programs in the Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, many include an internship program.
Explore Screen and Cultural Studies programs in the Faculty of Arts.