(Los Angeles, April 3, 2013)–The American Pavilion is proud to announce a 40% rise in university film students that have been selected to participate in the highly coveted 2013 American Pavilion Worldwide Student Filmmaker Program at the Cannes Film Festival (May 15 – 26), announced new Director Michael Bremer. This year’s class of students hails from North America, Asia and Europe, showing a more diverse international group than ever before.
The American Pavilion Worldwide Filmmaker Program is comprised of students who traditionally work six-hour shifts each day in The American Pavilion or with companies, which in the past have included: entertainment companies, leading Hollywood studios, production companies, talent agencies and The Hollywood Reporter. This hands-on work-study program allows the students to interact directly with executives and filmmakers, as well as attend panels, seminars, andofficial festival screenings.
“ In this historic year for The Pavilion, I am proud to join the team as Director of Student Programs, attracting new talent from a wider international stage, not just North America,” said Bremer, who also oversees The Pavilion’s Hospitality & Event Management, MBA, L.A. Intensive, and Venice Intensive Programs.”I am excited to discover new pockets of American talent from places as diverse as Oregon and Oklahoma. It was in North Carolina, for example, that we found rising star director Jeff Nichols [Take Shelter, Mud], who has acknowledged in interviews the accelerated trajectory of his career following his college internship with The American Pavilion.”
Bremer, who comes from Warner Bros International TV Distribution, where he worked since 2007, has implemented an aggressive initiative to expand AmPav’s outreach to International schools, via an unofficial alliance with CILECT. Other international plans on the drawing boards include an immersive film study experience in Cuba and an Asian outpost in Hong Kong. He is a Cannes veteran since 1987: as a seller, a buyer, and also as an independent producer, bringing a breadth of experience and relationships perfectly suited for serving the Students’ needs.
The American Pavilion has been committed to giving opportunities to students and young student filmmakers since its inception and their numbers have grown exponentially over the years. As a result of the Student Programs, past alumni are now gainfully employed throughout the industry at companies such as The Weinstein Company, DreamWorks, Paramount, The William Morris Agency, Sony, Industry Entertainment, ICM, 20 Century Fox, Universal and The Walt Disney Company.
Specific alumni of the internship program include: Morgan J. Freeman, (whose film “Hurricane Streets” became the first narrative film to win three awards at The ), Jeff Nichols, (director, writer, producer, “Take Shelter”), Alexa Alemanni, (SAG Award-winning actress) and Ron Najor, who recently produced award-winning SXSW film “Short Term 12” and last year’s “I’m not a Hipster.”
MICHAEL BREMER BIOGRAPHY
Michael Bremer, most recently a consultant for Warner Bros. International Television Distribution, has enjoyed a long career in film and television production and distribution. He was Director of International Sales for Lorimar Motion Pictures and Warner Brothers International, and traveled the world for fifteen years as an acquisitions representative for independent distributors such as Shochiku-Fuji (Japan), VCL/Carolco (Germany), IIF (Italy), and Samsung (Korea).
Segueing into production, Bremer arranged financing and distribution for feature and television films, including such titles as “Lies and Whispers” (aka “Prague Duet”) starring Gina Gershon and Rade Serbedzija and directed by Academy Award Nominee Roger L. Simon; “Do You Wanna Dance?” starring Patricia Skeriotis, Robert Costanzo and Robert Krantz, distributed by Largo Entertainment; “More Than Meets the Eye: The Joan Brock Story” starring Carey Lowell (“Law and Order”) and Dylan Walsh (“Nip/Tuck”); and “Cyberseduction” starring Kelly Lynch (“Drugstore Cowboy”) and Jeremy Sumpter (“Peter Pan”), the latter two for Lifetime Television.
Before his international distribution career, Bremer held positions at Telepictures Productions, Fenton-Feinberg Casting, the Susan Smith talent agency, and in various production capacities on feature films by directors Tony Bill, Abel Ferrara and Joe Ruben. Bremer graduated with honors from UCLA where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Motion Picture and Television Production.
THE AMERICAN PAVILION
Celebrating our 25th year as the center of American hospitality for the film industry in Cannes, The Pavilion brings professionals and emerging filmmakers together.
The American Pavilion is the center of activity at the for the American film community, offering membership for professionals, provocative and insightful programming, immersive student programs, the Emerging Filmmaker Showcase and more.
Serving as a communication and hospitality center for the thousands of Americans in Cannes during the Cannes Film Festival, The American Pavilion provides an impressive array of facilities and services to the international film community. Since its debut at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival, The Pavilion has become a permanent fixture on the Cannes landscape.
For the corporate sponsors of The American Pavilion, the dozens of exhibitors and office holders, and the thousands of American participants, The American Pavilion accommodates the need for information, orientation and recreation. For the duration of the Festival, The American Pavilion provides both a dynamic business environment and an opportunity to relax in comfortable surroundings.
Just a few steps from the Palais des Festivals, where all the major Festival films are premiered, and with a panoramic view of the Bay of Cannes, The American Pavilion is the perfect place to transact business, share ideas and effectively reach the thousands of affluent international business travelers who attend the Festival every year.
For more information, visit www.ampav.com.
