By Benjamin Pola

When film students dream big, they’re often envisioning a future Oscar or Emmy. But for most aspiring filmmakers, the first step is getting their work into film festivals and learning how that world works.

So how do you land a spot in a major festival? And what do you do once you’re there?

That’s where Sandrine Cassidy, Director of Festivals and Distribution at the USC School of Cinematic Arts (SCA), comes in. She helps students get their foot in the door and preps them on how to navigate the festival circuit so they can enter these spaces with confidence. 

Four years ago, Cassidy had a conversation with the director of the Cannes Classics section of the Cannes Festival that led to something pretty special – the USC Cannes Classic Blog. In exchange for daily coverage of festival events, USC students now get access to screenings, panels, and networking opportunities at Cannes—at a much lower cost than usual, which is rare!

The program is tailored for students with a passion for film criticism, journalism, and programming—offering them real-world experience at the world’s most prestigious film festival.

This year, Cassidy is taking twelve SCA students to Cannes. They will share their experiences through daily blog posts, social media updates, and short videos. See their bios below, and be sure to follow their Cannes adventures on Instagram and the official USC Cannes Classic blog.

Meet the 2025 Cohort below:

Mohammad Aseer Adeeb | he/him
Aseer is a writer, director, and cinematographer from Dehradun, India. He is pursuing an MFA in Film and Television Production from the School of Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California. Aseer has a keen interest in documentaries with his background in Journalism. He has written, directed, and DOP’d a diverse set of short films from virtual LED walls to production stages. As a filmmaker, Aseer is interested in grief and the human condition, with a natural inclination towards exploring it and creating poetic cinema through the mundane with a touch of cosmic ironies and paradoxes. He has a good amount of experience in post-production as a Promo Producer for Disney South East Asia. Outside of filmmaking, Aseer loves to read, travel, and ponder upon life with friends and strangers alike.

Matthew Chan | he/him
Matthew Chan is a Singapore-based writer and undergraduate Cinema and Media Studies major at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts. He is a regular writer for the websites Artillery and Talking Shorts, focusing on covering Southeast Asian and independent films on the international festival circuit. He is a programmer for LA-based screening series Sub Club, which focuses on platforming underseen and underappreciated foreign and arthouse films. He directed the film Blue Crush Angels which is available to watch on NoBudge.

Mustafa Chattha | he/him
?Mustafa is a Pakistani storyteller, visual artist and graphic designer based in Los Angeles. He uses his creative work to explore themes of intersectionality and advocate for social issues, particularly those affecting women in third-world countries. His visual projects have ranged from social media campaigns and branding assets to short-form documentaries and experimental video art. Mustafa is currently pursuing his B.A. in Media Arts + Practice at the School of Cinematic Arts, University of Southern California.

Emma Fergusson | she/her
Emma Fergusson is a  graduate student in Film and Television Production at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. She graduated from Kalamazoo College in 2022 where she studied English, philosophy, and film and media studies. Her shorts have screened at the Kazoo 48 Hour Film Festival, The Vidlings & Tapeheads Film Festival, and the Straight 8 Film Competition, and her writing has been published at Bright Wall/Dark Room and Film Matters Magazine. She can play the cello and ride a unicycle—just not both at the same time.

Tiger George | she/her
Tiger George is a filmmaker from London, based in Los Angeles. After graduating from the University of Cambridge with a BA in Education and the Arts, Tiger worked in the film industry in a variety of roles ranging from art and camera department, to short film post production and distribution. Tiger is currently pursuing an MFA in Film and Television production from the University of Southern California.

Elizabeth Griesser | she/her
Elizabeth Griesser is a writer, director, and producer from Charlotte, NC, currently pursuing a degree in Cinema and Media Studies in the School of Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California. Both in and out of class, Elizabeth has created a wide variety of short films, from directing dramas to producing animated documentaries. As a filmmaker, Elizabeth seeks to explore and reimagine folklore and spirituality as a driving principle for all stories. She has also gained experience in creative development from her various internships, university clubs, and exploration of her own screenwriting. Outside of filmmaking and work, Elizabeth enjoys reading and practicing visual art, as well as travel – with her most recently completing a semester abroad in London. 

Colin Kerekes | he/him
Film and Television Production B.A. Class of 2027
Colin is a filmmaker, writer, and multimedia artist currently based in Los Angeles, CA and pursuing a degree in Film and Television Production at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. He enjoys watching, writing, and analyzing stories about incomprehensible people doing incomprehensible things. In his own work, he explores the bad habits and unspoken realities of being alive through horror and comedy, with attention towards the deformation of the body and mind.  One day, he wants to live in a world where everything is made of cheese and humans act like animals.

Enoch Lai | he/him
Enoch Lai is a filmmaker and writer from Hong Kong, pursuing a degree in Cinema and Media Studies at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts and a minor degree in Religion. He has directed multiple short films and is working on the upcoming edition of the Hong Kong On Screen Film Festival as a festival director. He loves arthouse films, horror, and period films. His work mostly dwells somewhere between odd characters in spiritual crisis and an obsession with the confusing human experience. He is dedicated to finding an artistic understanding between his home and the rest of the world. He likes owls and cats.

Garrett Michaud | he/him
Writing for Screen and Television B.F.A. Class of 2027
Garrett Michaud is a filmmaker, screenwriter, and visual artist from Pittsburgh, PA who is currently pursuing a Writing for Screen and Television BFA from the University of Southern California. He spends his free time making films and video art that explore the intersection of fine art, cinema, and internet media/aesthetics. He formed his own media outlet, 317, that he uses to produce and distribute his work, as well as host free film screenings. He is also a founding member of the DIY video collective Click To View. Outside of film, he is involved in USC’s student radio station (KXSC), their fine arts magazine (Roski Mag), and loves spending time in nature. Garrett recently relaunched the podcast Faded On A Wednesday, which he co-hosts with his friend and peer Samantha Pollard.

Camden Rider | they/he
Cinema and Media Studies M.A. Class of 2026
Camden is a graduate student from San Diego, CA. They are studying Cinema and Media Studies at USC with a focus on queer independent cinema, popular culture, and entertainment business. Before moving to Los Angeles, Camden graduated from Yale University in 2023 with a degree in English. He then got an AMC A-List membership and decided that books didn’t matter anymore and talking about movies sounded fun. In their spare time, you can find Camden taking a dance class, thinking too much about reality TV, or finding the best bagel shop in LA.

Brennan Ryan | he/him
Brennan Ryan is a second-year Cinema and Media Studies MA from Las Vegas, Nevada. He earned his B.A. in English Literature from Arizona State University. While at USC, he has written for USC’s journal for film and television criticism Spectator and was awarded an Annenberg Fellowship for the 2024-25 academic year. He also presented at NYU’s 2025 Cinema Studies Conference and will be presenting his capstone graduate research project at USC’s inaugural Hollywood Conference in July 2025. His research interests include ideology critique in contemporary world cinema, adaptation, studio identity, post- and metamodernism and transnational film aesthetics. When not on campus, he’s usually at the movies or watching the Mets.

Zachary Sullivan | he/him
Zachary Sullivan is a mixed media artist from Upstate New York currently based in Los Angeles. Growing up, he gained an interest in film watching the work of influential special effects artist Ray Harryhausen, going so far as to produce his own stop-motion animations as a child. Since moving to Los Angeles, Zach has taken an interest in the French New Wave and the works of Gregg Araki. He is currently pursuing a BA in Media Arts + Practice from the USC School of Cinematic Arts.