Guest Post by Julie Sisk 

I first attended Cannes in 1989. I had absolutely no idea what I was doing there. As a young woman in the film business I was in between opportunities — so to speak — and experiencing Cannes for the first time with my writer pal, Anne Thompson. We frequented the newly minted British Pavilion for its language-friendly ambiance, user-friendly phones, and, of course, its bar. It seemed crazy that there was no American Pavilion.

The British Pavilion offered important resources and a place to gather. It seemed obvious that there should be an equivalent for Americans. The American film industry needed a place to make phone calls and get mail and meet up with one another, too — so I started one.

Having worked in development for the AFI and the BFI, I originally pitched The Pavilion concept to the AFI and they agreed to entertain the idea if I was able to raise the funds.

I did.

I flew to Rochester, NY in sweat pants and a T-shirt, ironed a dress in the Rochester airport ladies room, stuffed my sweats into a locker, and took a taxi to Kodak headquarters.

I met with John Spence, head of Global Marketing at Kodak, and he took out a checkbook handed me $75k. We were in business!

When the Festival got wind of the plans, they objected to the AFI’s participation — the AFI had offended the fest by hosting a giant anti-Cannes party in the Majestic Hotel ballroom a year prior. They also announced the formation of a film festival in Las Vegas that would be bigger and better than Cannes.

Leaving the AFI behind in accordance with Cannes’ wishes, I used the seed money from Kodak to raise the rest of the funds. I brought on another major sponsor, The Completion Bond Company, with help from Bette Smith, a woman-owned business supporting an up and coming woman in the industry.

“Single minded woman creates oasis of Yankee hospitality on the French Riviera.”

That was the headline in The Hollywood Reporter.

My intention was to launch The Pavilion and hand it over immediately thereafter to the appropriate non-profit organization — but that never happened. In the U.S. no one non-profit represents the film industry, so 30 years later, here I am.

The American Pavilion became the de facto home away from home for the Americans at the Festival. Offering a full bar and restaurant, a business center complete with typewriters (and later computers), fax machines (and later high speed Wi-Fi), party and reception facilities, and more. We aimed to create a congenial atmosphere conducive to socializing and networking.

Over the years the Festival has built a sea of white tents that surround The American Pavilion — the Village International. Government emissaries from every country imaginable are there to promote economic development in their respective geographic territories. We have no such mission and no such government support. I think it is sad that there is no organization whose mission it is to promote the U.S. film industry to the world, especially as it is the largest U.S. export.

The American Pavilion is Brigadoon on the Riviera. It is a magical place that appears once a year for 12 days and then disappears into the mistral prone coast of the Mediterranean.

I have been running The American Pavilion at Cannes longer than any of the people currently running the Festival. We have seen the disappearance of the franc, the disappearance of corporate sponsorship, the disappearance of electric typewriters, classic Macs, fax machines, landlines, mailboxes, the old Palais, newspapers, the MTV party, the Moving Pictures Party, the “cash only” policy at the Hotel du Cap, the Leopard Ladies, and countless other “staples” of the Cannes Film Festival.

We have weathered the ups and downs of volatile exchange rates, regime changes at the Festival, scandals, airline strikes, train strikes, taxi strikes, armored car cash delivery strikes (Cannes was devoid of coins, so we could not make change at the bar!). We have lived through the “dot com year,” rainy Cannes, sunny Cannes, freezing and boiling Cannes, the fear of SARS, the fear of terrorism, and more. Among the biggest challenges was the recession and the loss of corporate sponsorship. I had to refinance my house to keep the business afloat, to continue to pay salaries, to avoid going under.

We have seen amazing films and some of the worst films ever. There have been great festivals and so-so festivals. Some of the Festival posters have been so much fun that we hang them on our walls at home and some so awful that we can’t stand them even while we are in Cannes!

We have seen thousands of students come through our American Pavilion Worldwide Student Program, many of whom have gone on to successful careers in the industry — Jeff Nichols, Hope Hall, and Ryan Coogler, to name a few. We have seen that program change over the years from a group that was initially primarily men to a group that is now mostly women, with female students outnumbering the male students nearly two to one in recent years. Looking at demographics, it is interesting that most of the young people in film school in the early days were men and now that is no longer the case.

Part way through writing this you can see that I changed pronouns from “I” to “we.” I ran The Pavilion for the first 10 years but I have run it together with Lynne Howard for the past 20 with our group of dedicated staff.

We have also both become moms during this time and my children have been part of The American Pavilion from birth. I was pregnant with both of my children in Cannes and they travel with me to France every May. Being a single mother, I don’t have the luxury of leaving them home with another parent, and I firmly believe that their experience in Cannes has been beyond significant for them in so many ways. They are adventurous, well traveled, well-behaved, sophisticated eaters, and good citizens of the world, both with a real sense of how to run a business. They are entrepreneurs. My 14-year-old even set up a business meeting for me a few weeks ago!

The American Pavilion looks to the future as international, independent, and inclusive at a time when politics at home is anything but. The American Pavilion is open to anyone with Festival accreditation. Membership is 50/50 men and women, and contrary to what you might expect, just 60 percent American and 40 percent international. We are also the only place at the Festival with a student program inviting students from around the world to experience the Festival firsthand — and that includes students of all nationalities, ages, sexes, and professions. We are also proud to support young talent with our Emerging Filmmaker Showcase.

I look forward to seeing an innovative new generation of AmPav students and filmmakers who take chances and follow their dreams for the next 30 years and beyond.

Julie Sisk founded The American Pavilion (AmPav) in 1989 and has been its Director ever since. Originally from New York, she previously served as development director for the Denver International Film Festival, AFI FEST, and the London Film Festival. She has also worked as a television producer and won a Clio Award for her involvement in the Wells, Rich, Greene “I Love New York” campaign.

More information about the American Pavilion can be found on its official site, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.