Film Competition Department Intern
Department Description: The Film Department at Austin Film Festival runs the film competition and programs all the films that screen during the Festival. This involves processing and reviewing entries, marketing, creating the film program, and coordinating with filmmakers. The competition received 6,300 submissions in 2019. Additionally, the Film Department organizes and assists with year-round events including the annual Audience Award Series and advance screenings. The Film Department recruits 6-10 interns each session. We are looking for self-starters and problem-solvers who are interested in film and event planning and want to work with a nationally renowned film festival at the ground level.
Job Description: Film Department runs the film competition and programs all films that screen during the festival and year round events. Interns will facilitate the processing of over 6,000 submissions, reviewing entries, marketing, build the slate, and coordinate with other AFF departments. Another facet of the internship is researching programming, marketing plans and general film industry trends. The department recruits 6-10 interns per session.
Job Responsibilities:
Spring Internship:
- Processing submissions and managing the submission database
- Assisting department with competition marketing initiatives and outreach
- Assisting department with monitoring the Film Selection Committee
- Assisting with filmmaker and film research
- Assisting with general event marketing copy and graphics creation
- Assisting at three year-round events
- Assisting at one Screener Team Meeting
Summer & Fall Internship:
- Assisting department with monitoring the Film Selection Committee
- Assisting with filmmaker and film research
- Reviewing & copyediting printed and digital program materials
- Assisting with marketing for Festival screenings
- Assisting Theater Operations Manager, Production Manager, and Film Marketing Coordinator when needed
- Festival: shadowing, theater shifts, registration shift, office shifts, roundtable management
- Processing survey data
Project Ownership Opportunities:
Selection Committee: This is a role that handles the intern side of the screener team such as research, outreach, metrics tracking, note taking, evaluating test, monitoring current screeners and assigning films. Assisting with recruiting will also be a major task for this position. This includes researching outreach, helping onboard new members of the team and communicating with potential team members.
Film Marketing: This positions cover outreach research, writing copy, graphics, analytic breakdowns, marketing research, and marketing evaluations. This position helps draft marketing plans for different films or shorts blocks, evaluate how to market for different venues, help set up marketing for different venues and assist with film program rollout.
Film Competition Processing: While every intern will assist with general processing, this position deal with more of the data management and evaluation as the competition progresses throughout the year. This includes creating tracking sheets and comparing data sets to help identify trends and allow the film team to evaluate current marketing plans.
Film Programming: This position is an intern that assists with programming films, building slates, and researching other festivals slates. This intern would shadow the programmer and take notes during programming discussions.
Interns will get the opportunity to:
Process film entries, watch film entries, shadow the film programming team, work and attend the festival, get an inside look at the workings of a film festival and develop data management and office skills.
Qualifications:
- Proficient with Microsoft Office, specifically Excel and Word
- Efficient, punctual, flexible, outgoing, good with people
- Marketing experience preferred but not required
- Required to work a regular schedule within business hours (Monday to Friday, 10AM-6PM), specific hours are flexible
Timeframe: Spring & Summer/Fall (no Summer only internships)