Takacs Visits Cannes Film Festival

As he enters his final year at Colgate, Andrew Takacs has learned much about the film industry as a film & media studies major. But in May, the Bowie, Md., native made the best of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to enhance his education.

He spent 11 days at the Cannes Film Festival in France, where he interned with the film company Voltage Pictures and participated in other educational activities as part of a group of Colgate students. 

“I was interested in visiting Cannes because I wanted to immerse myself in the film industry to see if I found a calling to a specific profession, medium, or style while being able to network with fellow students in the U.S. or globally, and learn from industry professionals,” Takacs said. 

The experience at one of the most renowned film festivals in the world proved to have a major impact on Takacs, who came away with a clearer idea on where to narrow his focus as he considers potential careers in the film industry.

“I chose film and media studies as my major when I was a freshman because I knew that I wanted to do something in film or sports content,” he said. “I’ve been able to grow as a student through the film and media studies department, where I see myself focusing now on production and being part of a team while I learn more about the organizational structures around executive producing and managing people. 

“My Cannes experience has fostered a different career aspiration in talent management and handling PR that I’m now learning how to grow with my current studies.

The Cannes visit was made possible through a collaboration involving Colgate, Quinnipiac University, and The Gotham Film and Media Institute.

Colgate students attended Cannes in the past through another program. But in 2024, a new program was launched, providing students with a more thorough and enriching experience. 

Takacs, a goalie on the men’s hockey team, was part of a Colgate contingent made up of seven students and two faculty members — Ani Maitra, associate professor of film and media studies, and Mary Simonson, the Daniel C. Benton ’80 Endowed Chair in Arts, Creativity, and Innovation, and professor of film and media studies and women’s, gender, and sexuality studies.

Jack Lira, an English major and a member of the men’s swim team, was also part of the Colgate group. 

In all, 43 students from the two universities made the trip. The students attended the premieres of movies such as Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning and The Phoenician Scheme. They heard from actors and industry experts at panels. They attended master classes and bumped into celebrities on the street.

Among the highlights for Takacs was talking basketball with director Spike Lee and completing his internship at Voltage Pictures.

“I learned so much from my internship with Voltage Pictures, assisting in the global distribution of their lineup of films at the market in Cannes,” Takacs said. “To be able to assist their executive team in the most competitive and stressful market, with changes revolving around streaming services and their effect on global distribution, and to be able to ask questions along the way, was so insightful.”

Now as a senior, Takacs looks forward to building on the success of the 2024-25 season, when the netminder recorded a career-high 17 wins. His goal after graduation is to play professionally, but he wants to keep the door open to a career in the film industry. 

Regardless of what career path he takes, Takacs said he’s thankful for the opportunity to visit Cannes. 

“I can’t thank Colgate, the Film & Media Studies Program, and The Gotham enough for offering this program,” he said. “My experience at Cannes was made possible thanks to Professor Maitra, Professor Simonson, Colgate alumni, and Jeff Sharp from The Gotham.” 

“It is an all-encompassing experience of the film — and other forms of entertainment — industry for anyone interested in film and media studies. I had heard from now-graduates of Colgate that the Cannes experience either changes or enhances your outlook on the industry and personal aspirations for where you see yourself in it, and they were right.”