Coming from someone who has been completely immersed in the process of Blackbird 2024, I hope you attended the festival (for my sanity). All jokes aside, there are a variety of reasons why a student at SUNY Cortland should be interested in experiencing this once in a lifetime opportunity and potentially intern for the festival in the future.
For one: you get to watch films!
There are two internship opportunities for the Blackbird Film Fest (and I participated in both). In the fall, the position to be a film judge is offered to students.
Why should becoming a film judge intrigue you?
For Blackbird, you will be given a genre of films based on your interests. At the beginning of the semester, Professor Avery will ask you what your three favorite genres are and why they are appealing to you — my favorite was the documentary genre.
I personally reviewed 127 films — 24 hours and 14 minutes — which was a big undertaking. While documentary films were my favorite, I was also able to view animation films, music videos, and more.
In the fall, I watched and critiqued countless films on my small laptop every Sunday night. Seeing the films that I voted into the festival at Brown Auditorium on a grand scale brought them to life at this major event.
Another plus: not 1, not 2, but 3 internship credits!
Students from various majors critiqued Blackbird film submissions to complete their internship requirement, and many come back to help with the festival year after year.
“It’s fun, it’s a few extra credits, and it’s a professional experience in a professional environment,” said Media Production major Branden Riley. “I’ve been coming back to Blackbird for the last couple of years.”
Aside from being a film judge, I was also able to become an event coordinator for the festival in the spring.
Why did I decide to be an event coordinator and continue working with Blackbird?
Networking.
While I am not a filmmaker myself, I was able to meet many professional filmmakers in the industry this past weekend. It gave me the opportunity to discuss my future goals with them and hear about their stories working with different media platforms.
“The festival has also given me the opportunity to talk to a bunch of different directors, along with actors and producers,” said junior student David Garcia. “I’ve been able to get their aspect on different topics which was very interesting.”
Burak Tatar was a filmmaker that I was assigned to liaison for during his experience with the festival. He was the director of Prime Real Estate, a short film featured in the Last Wishes film block.
Over the weekend, I got to know Burak well. On the final day of Blackbird, I interviewed Burak about his process and inspiration for creating his short film (the interview will soon be posted on social media platforms).
Another reason to become an event coordinator: build connections and new friendships with people at SUNY Cortland.
At the festival, I had the opportunity to connect with students who shared similar interests. Without this experience, I would have never created bonds with them (or possibly crossed paths with them).
I also met former alumni including the All-Stars, people who have been associated with Blackbird for several years.
Aside from being an event coordinator, I was also given the opportunity to be an event manager for Blackbird’s annual kickoff party. This year, the venue was at Bru 64 with live music from Taylor Thomas Lane.
I will definitely intern for the Blackbird Film Festival next year and you should too. Contact sam@blackbirdfilmfest.com for more information.