Hello! We are the USC School of Cinematic Arts’ (SCA) inaugural student delegation to the Cannes Film Festival. For the first time, the Cannes Classics section of the Festival has commissioned blogs about students’ experiences at Cannes from select universities worldwide, and SCA’s Festivals & Distribution Office has handpicked us to represent the school!
Here you will find film reviews, conversations, and journals about the films and people we encounter at Cannes. For most of us, this is either our first time visiting France or attending a major film festival, and we hope this blog will be a window into those experiences from a first-timer’s perspective. But most of all, we’re excited to share with you our love of movies.
Meet the Team
Amaya Nakpodia
(she/her)
Amaya Nakpodia is a screenwriter and creative director who has always held a passion for cinema. Originally from Texas, she now resides in Los Angeles where she attends the USC School of Cinematic Arts. Amaya majors in Film & Television Production with a minor in Communication Design. She favors French New Wave and Surrealist cinema.
Favorite movies: Everything Everywhere All at Once, 8½, The Lighthouse, Le Mépris
Favorite directors: Hiro Murai, Jordan Peele
Ben Parkhill
(he/him)
Ben just graduated from the University of Southern California with a B.A. in English literature and a minor in LGBTQ studies. He is originally from Wilmette, Illinois, and plans to pursue a career in creative writing.
Favorite movies: Andrei Rublev, Pink Flamingos, Brazil, First Cow
Favorite directors: Kelly Reichardt, Andrei Tarkovsky
Graham Bertoni
(he/him/his)
Graham is an undergraduate student at USC pursuing a degree in film and television production. He is an avid movie lover who enjoys both film criticism and film production. He is a fan of all types of films, but most especially Golden Age Hollywood comedies and 80s slashers.
Favorite movies: Stalker, Holiday (1938), Naked, Fanny and Alexander
Favorite directors: Andrei Tarkovsky, Mike Leigh
Justin Chor Yu Liu (廖楚瑜)
(he/him/his)
Justin just finished his second year of Master of Fine Arts in Film and TV Production at the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts. He graduated from Northwestern University in 2020, majoring in radio/television/film, minoring in gender and sexuality studies and Asian humanities. He was born and raised in Hong Kong.
Favorite movies: Yi Yi, Weekend (2011), Scenes from a Marriage (1975), Twin Peaks: The Return
Favorite director: Hirokazu Kore-eda
Maria Isabel (Isa) Nieves Bosch
(she/hers)
Isa loves international films and storytelling as a way to attain cross-cultural understanding. She majored in International Affairs and Religious Studies at Skidmore College, and went on a Fulbright program to Indonesia after her graduation. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Cinema & Media Studies at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. She was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Favorite movies: The Spirit of the Beehive, A Streetcar Named Desire, Persepolis
Favorite directors: Guillermo del Toro, Bong Joon-ho
Min Kim
(he/him)
Min is an undergraduate student in the USC School of Cinematic Arts, pursuing a B.A. in Cinema & Media Studies. He previously attended UC Santa Cruz as a Film & Digital Media major for two years. He loves contemplating and studying all aspects of cinema and wishes to orchestrate his own films in the future.
Favorite movies: Ordet, Blow-Up, A Man Escaped, Certain Women
Favorite directors: Michelangelo Antonioni, Paul Thomas Anderson
Natalie Chak
(she/her/hers)
Natalie recently graduated from USC with a B.A. in Political Economy and a minor in Cinematic Arts. Born and raised in Hong Kong, she’s always been interested in international films and especially Asian and European cinema.
Favorite movies: In the Mood for Love, Cinema Paradiso
Favorite directors: Noah Baumbach, Agnès Varda
Additional Credits
Sandrine Faucher Cassidy (coordination and festival liaison)
Derek Horne (web hosting)
Angie Canonizado (graphic design)