Internship Report
I enjoyed the internship on Sunday, May 4. I collaborated and worked with my classmates to help organize and cater the event. They asked me to help clean up and arrange the tables and food. Moreover, my group helped arrange the drinks at the bar. I felt that this experience brought me closer to my classmates, and while at it, I learned about the process of managing a film festival. Lastly, observing all the people and hearing their dialect helped me understand the Greek mindset and culture. I improved and defined my management and people skills.
Bucha was a good experience as I was able to unwind and watch the movie. I found it intriguing to see how a director was able to interpret and highlight all of the devastation that arises from the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, which is often not talked about in my hometown of Moscow. It was certainly beneficial and informative for me to see the alternate perspective on the war.
Watching and evaluating the LAGFF’s new film submissions allowed me to get a glimpse of Greek culture through a variety of different films and genres. In particular, it was interesting to see the many societal dynamics in Greece that the film submissions revealed, some are positive and others have negative connotations. For example, in my favorite movie, Hostage, the tensions and stereotyping that some Greeks have towards immigrants are uncovered. When the main character is revealed as the bad guy, other people in the movie use slurs and tell him to go back to his country, as people of his nationality cause issues within the society. Another example that unveils an interpersonal relationship between immigrants is in another submission to the Greek Film Festival, Xenia, that depicts a group of Greek men who have a lot of pride in their nationality. When another character who lived in Albania and came to Greece to see his mother is introduced as the long-lost brother of one of the group’s members. The Albanian is scrutinized and ousted as an outsider who doesn’t belong to their group. As the plot develops, the group becomes more inviting and grows closer to the outsider as the mental barriers that had originally been put up diminish, realizing that the Albanian is not so different from them. Highlighting a potential contemporary shift in mentality and attitude that Greeks have towards immigrants. In essence, this part of my internship allowed me to sit back and observe how these film submissions can provide a powerful lens into societal values, issues, and changing views.
Finally, all of these different internship tasks complement each other, and collectively, I got a full experience of what it means to put in effort to gain a deep understanding of a subject. Overall, my skill set was expanded, and I believe that I learned abilities that I can use in various areas of my career. As an entrepreneur organization, research, and management are all demanded, and through this internship, I was able to sharpen these capabilities, which is exciting.