About the Film Program Cannes

FPC is a Professional Education
Program in its 8th year.
The class is held in France and is unique in using the largest film market
in the world as the laboratory for the course. Taught by an internationally acclaimed professor who is active professionally and has considerable experience
with the Cannes market having had 12 feature films
in the market and two in competition.

Robert F. Nickson, Instructor, Film Program Cannes "Intensive."

Robert Nickson is a producer of independent feature films and a founding partner of Orenda Films, an independent feature film production company engaged in production and global distribution of independent feature films. He has been credited as a producer or production controller on fourteen major theatrically released features in the last sixteen years. He has intimate knowledge of the legal and financial issues that are involved in feature film production, having produced and delivered films to the international marketplace. He has also served as a consultant on production issues, budgets, financing, guilds and unions, and legal affairs on projects ranging from low budget independents to studio level pictures. He has been a regular participant in international festivals and attended the Cannes Festival and market for over ten years. He has had films both in competition and selling in the market.

Nickson's credits include the films: Do the Right Thing, No Way Home, Curtain Call, Auf Weidersehen Amerika, Mo Better Blues, Search for One-eye Jimmy, Streetsmart, and eight other theatrical features. He has worked with many of the film industry's noted personalities including directors: Spike Lee and Peter Yates; actors: Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Denzel Washington, Maggie Smith, Halle Barry and John Turturro; and the distinguished cinematographer Sven Nykvist.

Robert Nickson is currently teaching film production management and producing at the Graduate Film Program at New York University. Professor Nickson also frequently teaches international workshops on Independent Feature Production and the Global Marketplace that have been conducted at The National Film School of Italy at Cinecitta, Rome; The Eastern European Film Academy, Grozhjan, Croatia; the National Film School of Finland in Helsinki, and at Graduate Film Program of Ohio University. He has been an advisor to the development of producing curricula to the Groupment of European Film Schools as he brings considerable real world experience to his teaching activities. He was educated at Dartmouth and received his Masters of Fine Arts in film from NYU. He is currently based in New York City.

Registration for 2010 opening soon.

The Film Program Cannes is a private professional training program for filmmakers by filmmakers and is not part of the Official Cannes Film Festival or Film Market

Course and Market/Festival activities:
Central to the Program’s success and uniqueness is it provides its attendees the opportunity to experience a one-of-a-kind program of study, tailored to meet their individual professional or academic goals.
The courses facilitate "intensive" attendee participation, discussion and networking. The "Intensive" is a unique course directed at the use of film markets coupled with the learning of standard producing skills. The intensive course covers the fundamentals of film producing in addition there is useful insider information and assessment of current film market and technology trends in the production and distribution of films.

Master Course Modules include:
1) Understanding the Film Industry and Film Markets
2) Finding, Developing and Packaging for the Investment Market
3) Preparing the Financial of the Package, Contracts, Legal
4) The Producer's Functions During the Making of the Film
5) Completion & Delivery, Festivals and Marketing the Film

Working the Market
Attendees bring their film projects, scripts and funding needs and seek help from the Market and fellow attendees. Attendees are taught the most efficient manner to navigate this massive gathering (s.g. Cannes Film Market) to accomplish their personal and professional goals. The attendees also gain very important insights from fellow professional attendees through classroom discussions and Market assignments. This includes but is not limited to: co-production opportunities, distribution opportunities, and funding opportunities. Attendees also gain life long professional partnerships and friendships with fellow attendees and others attending the Market and Festival.
During this FPC 8th Anniversary year additional film markets/festivals are being added.

The Film Market places the attendee into the daily working of the world's largest and most important professional market/festivals. The Market's hugeness can be a very overwhelming experience with as many as 9,476 accredited film professionals from 83 countries, 3,404 registered companies with 1,520 screenings in the 30 theatres of the Marché du Film and over 3,000 professional entertainment journalists attending from the Cannes Market.