Cannes 2022: The American Pavilion

 JULIE SISK, Director

Thirty-three years ago former festival development person, Julie Sisk, founded The American Pavilion in Cannes and she has been its Director ever since.

When Jerome Paillard came on board as the Director of the Cannes Market in 1995, no one except the Americans had any such place to land in Cannes and no one really understood the purpose of a “pavilion”. But as Jerome’s intelligence takes in every idea and repurposes it to benefit the Marche, he understood it very well and instituted the traditional International Village of Pavilions as we know it today.

Even Julie’s white tent became the symbol of the International Village.

Cannes International Village of Pavilions

The American Pavilion has evolved independently as it always has been an independent endeavor exhibiting that American “can do” attitude about shaping its own mission.

Today filmmakers of every sort work there and participate in a wide array of student programs designed by Michael Bremer, a former international sales agent back in the day when I too was just beginning a new direction in my career, leaving the international acquisitions arena to form FilmFinders, the industry’s first database and the basis for Cinando which was built in partnership with Jerome and Cannes.

Today senior members of the industry are giving about 25 conferences for those who pay a membership of $170 to partake in the many ways of learning, doing, networking and just plain having fun at AmPav as it has come to be called.

Party at AmPav 2015 — Listen to my blog about it then here.

Julie is always working, year round, to make AmPav better; it has almost become her life’s mission but not quite. While it is her 33rd Cannes this year, it is her son Charlie’s seventeenth and her daughter Katie’s twelfth, so you know she has other activities as well as AmPav.

Chapeau! as they say en France; Hats off to you Julie for your innovative and much copied idea!

Originally from New York, Julie previously served as development director for the Denver International Film Festival, AFI FEST and the London Film Festival. She has also worked as a television producer and won a Clio Award for her involvement in the well-known Wells, Rich, Greene “I Love NewYork” better known as the “I ❤️ NY” campaign which created the ubiquitous, now an emoji, heart to show love anytime but Valentine’s Day which had already appropriated said symbol.