Who wouldn't want to visit the Cannes Film Festival on the French Riviera? One aspiring filmmaker with Tampa Bay ties is making the trip, although for business more than pleasure.

Cheryl Timmins, 56, of Sarasota, a Dec. 2009 graduate of Art Institute of Tampa, has been selected as one of 150 interns nationwide who'll work at Cannes doing whatever interns are asked to do (within reason, of course). The 12-day festival begins May 12.

Timmins listed "producer" as her goal in filmmaking, and the Cannes staff will attempt to place her with a company and position at the festival suited to that end.

Here's the news release with Timmins' particulars:

TAMPA, Fl- May 2010- Cheryl Timmins, local film graduate from The Art Institute of Tampa, was accepted as one of 150 film students to work at The Cannes Film Festival. Timmins will work in the American Pavilion where film business is primarily conducted and where most films are bought and sold for distribution.

“I have stayed open-minded and prepared throughout my film studies at The Art Institute of Tampa,” Timmins said. “The best opportunities have been serendipitous.”

Cannes is the world’s largest film festival. At the outset, the Festival principally resembled a tourist and social event. It professionalized with the creation in 1959 of a Marché du Film which began with a few dozen projections and a single screening room. Today, it draws more than 10,000 buyers and sellers from around the world. The Festival de Cannes has celebrated the cinema for more than 60 years. Over the years, the French Association of the International Film Festival has been able to evolve while retaining the essential: the passion for motion pictures, discovery of new talents, and enthusiasm of festival-goers and professionals from around the world, all contributing to the birth and distribution of films.

Timmins is looking forward to connecting with particular companies and directors; especially those of independent documentaries. She is also looking for feature film opportunities.
She made her first major career change when she went from an Educational Director at a facility for emotionally disturbed boys to real estate. Then came an itch for another passion: Film. In 2007, Timmins started her third career when she enrolled in the Digital Filmmaking & Video Production bachelor’s degree program at The Art Institute of Tampa.

“Cheryl is a perfect example of what all students in film should do while studying their passion,” said John Muehl, a filmmaking professor at The Art Institute of Tampa. “Cheryl made time outside of her student responsibilities to participate in short films, attend workshops hosted by various film organizations, and volunteer to work on documentaries.”

The Art Institute of Tampa, a branch of Miami International University of Art & Design, is one of The Art Institutes (www.artinstitutes.edu), a system of more than 45 education institutions located throughout North America, providing an important source of design, media arts, fashion and culinary arts professionals.