Lately, the media has been abuzz with two very different sexually-based controversies: that of David Letterman’s scandals with his young staffers, and the international arrest of Roman Polanski.  The public and the media have each taken sides on both of these issues, and they are not what I had expected.

It was recently brought to the attention of the public, by David Letterman himself, that he had commited indiscretions with several women on his show’s payroll.

Stemming from a $2 million extortion threat, his nationally televised confession outed him as a cheater (on his then-girlfriend, now wife) and elicited public outcry for his firing.  Andrea Peyser, of the New York Post, called for Letterman to be fired, even asserting that “CBS will have lost any remaining shred of credibility, not to mention common decency” if he were kept.

Now, Letterman may have done moral wrongs in the arena of public opinion by sleeping with women other than his girlfriend, but he did nothing illegal.

I do not know the policy at CBS for inter-office dating, but as far as I am concerned, a personal life is a personal life.  Letterman did not do anything that requires legal action, and it is my belief that he has suffered enough from public scrutiny and the apparent anger of his wife that losing his job is rather unnecessary.

In contrast, Roman Polanski committed serious crimes.  In 1977, Polanski pled guilty to unlawful sexual intercourse—with a 13-year-old girl.  A year later, he fled for France and remained in Europe until his arrest in Switzerland this past September.

In the last 30 years, Academy Award-winner Polanski has continued to make films and win awards, and many prominent figures have come out in his support.  Celebrities like Monica Belluci have signed a petition urging his release, and Harvey Weinstein called the situation “terrible.”  Swiss newspapers have also rallied against authorities, with one newspaper calling Polanski’s arrest “a nasty trap.”

Both Letterman’s scandal and Polanski’s arrest have stirred up strong emotions and passionate public opinion.  What baffles me is that the dominating views on both are the opposite of what I would expect.Polanski committed serious felonies, and his status as a filmmaker should not exempt him from the criminal punishment he is subject to.  He caused significant harm to a child and has been living freely in Europe for the past thirty years; he was arrested as he arrived in Zurich to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award.

Polanski has already pled guilty and only fled because he was sentenced to more time than had been agreed upon; for him to be pardoned at this point is ridiculous.  While there are many rallying for his release, I have heard no plausible reason for him to not be held accountable for his actions.  Even Letterman was punished by the public tarnishing of his reputation. Polanski, however, is glorified for his accomplishments in the entertainment industry as his felony crimes are ignored.

So I must ask the general public: why lash out against Letterman but support Polanski?  Letterman did nothing wrong, outside of what the American public would consider moral violations, and needs no reprimands outside of what he has already received.  Polanski, however, deserves the jail time that was assigned to him 32-years ago.

Although, I must contradict myself briefly to say that I believe the most important opinion is that of the victim.  Samantha Geimer, now 45-years old, has asked that the charges against Polanski be dropped; she has received an undisclosed amount of money from Polanski as a result of her lawsuit against him.

So, while it is my personal opinion that Polanski be punished for his crimes, I regard Geimer’s request as the most important. I wish the public opinion were a bit less skewed in terms of leniency for Polanski and harshness for Letterman.  It seems Letterman is being unfairly punished while Polanski is unfairly supported.

“It was incredible.”

So said Terri Ann Driggs when asked about her experience at the Cannes Film Festival.

This past summer, CSUN had two very fortunate students, out of 120, who were able to actively participate in the Festival; Driggs and Kaileigh Martin, a senior CTVA major.

The Cannes Film Festival is more than festival; it is also a market, where most motion pictures are sold. This is where people go to sell and promote movies.

The American Pavilion (AMPAV) serves as a communication and hospitality center for journalists, publicists, celebrities, film makers and motion picture executives working at the Festival. AMPAV offers film students all over the country the opportunity to participate in what they call Student Program, an internship where students participate in seminars, roundtable discussions, and screenings. During this time, students like Driggs and Martin gain a greater understanding of the business side of the film industry.

AMPAV is the only North American student program that is recognized and accredited by the Cannes Film Festival. So what does it take to be an intern there?
First of all, according to Student Programs director Walter Harris, the students are not called interns; he refers to them as young film makers or student film makers who happen to be doing an internship at the Cannes Film Festival.

AMPAV looks for students with a good attitude and good work ethic, because according to Harris, those are the main qualities that you need to get ahead. He said that the program aims to give the student film makers a feel of reality when it comes to working for the film industry.

In order to get into the program, students need to fill out an application form, with their basic information and they are given five essay questions to answer. The students also need to turn in a résume and recommendation letters from their professors and employers.

Aside from asking the students questions about themselves and their work, AMPAV employs the phone interview to talk about what it does and what it can offer to the students.

According to professor Nate Thomas of the CTVA department, the application process is highly selective. It takes about three to four weeks, with two deadlines; early deadline is in the fall semester and late deadline is around February.

The students have to pay for their trip to Cannes. AMPAV charges a program fee, which includes housing, one meal a day and of course, an all-access badge for events and seminars at the festival.

The program cost about $5,000.00 for Driggs, who graduated this May with a major in CTVA film production; the program fee alone is $2,995. Driggs still had to pay for her own airfare, food, souvenirs, etc. Financial aid is available for students, according to Thomas, but it is very limited.

The interns fly to France a few days before the festival opens in order to prepare for the work that they will be doing. Then, the students are given a pre-festival tour of the city. Martin said that this past summer, they attended classes for the first two days, and listened to speakers talk about production, the market, etc.
After the introduction to the festival, the students start working six hours per day.

“They make them work,” Thomas said. “It could be hopping tables but the point is you’re meeting people because you’re hopping tables. You could be delivering varieties to all these studio executives. But after the job, you’re free to mingle and network and do all these things.”

Aside from learning the business of filmmaking, interns have the opportunity to see and meet famous people, people that they look up to and admire. For example, Thomas said that director Martin Scorsese gave a seminar at last year’s festival. And Driggs met Eli Roth, who has directed several horror movies and is one of the lead characters in Inglorious Basterds.

The students also have access to attend screenings, parties and red carpet events.

“It is more than just an internship,” AMPAV director Harris said. “It is not a vacation, they really work hard.”

Driggs said that a variety of things kept her busy at Cannes.

“There are a lot of roundtables held at The American Pavilion and the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Indie,” Driggs said. “I was able to sit in roundtables where I learned a lot of valuable information about the business of filmmaking and not necessarily about the art of filmmaking.”

Martin also gained a lot of knowledge from the program and said that if she has a film to make, she will know how to sell and market it.

AMPAV also wants to expand this program to other students, besides film majors.

“It’s about marketing,” Thomas said. “They are trying to get journalism students interested in this. Journalism students can go and learn how they cover it. They are trying to expand it to other students and give them that opportunity.”

Harris said that AMPAV encourages journalists, public relation students, communication arts students and marketing students to participate.

Students will be able to apply online through AMPAV’s website (www.ampav.com) starting Sept. 21. They will also conduct a presentation in campus later in the fall to talk about the program and answer questions from the students and staff.