The Intern’s Lot: Kung Fu Mastery

I still remember the moment when I decided to apply to graduate school. I was at work blankly staring into my computer screen at my desk when I came to the realization that I had to press forward; I stepped out of my comfort zone and embarked on a series of steps that led to my acceptance into UT and my eventual internship at the Austin Film Society. Similar to my decision to apply to graduate school, my internship at AFS also required stepping out of my comfort zone. As a former English student and current Advertising graduate student, I had no previous background in film aside from a history of film class and a love of the movies.

I recently worked an Essential Cinema screening of KUNG FU MASTER, a film by French director Agnès Varda. Varda is one of my favorite directors and I’ve seen many of her films. However, for the AFS series many of her lesser-known films were screened. KUNG FU MASTER, a film with no current US distribution, is one of those films. Prior to the screening I’d never heard of it, despite the fact that it stars both Jane Birkin and Charlotte Gainsbourg. After we sell and tear tickets, AFS interns are allowed to stay and watch the film being screened.

Though the overall story arc of this film is risqué even by today’s standards, I identified with a much more rudimentary aspect of the film–the kung fu master. Varda’s son Mathieu Demy plays a teenager who’s mastered the 80s beat em’ up 8-bit arcade game Kung Fu Master. He also serves as de facto “kung fu master” himself, kicking and chopping his way through obstacles and adversity in an opening montage paired with arcade game sound effects. With his hands at the joystick, Mathieu as Julian advances past each level in the game until he fights the elusive and mysterious villain Mr. X.

Through many of my experiences at the Austin Film Society in the past three months, Varda’s protagonist has stuck with me. There’s something envious about the sheer mastery of his craft. I’ve had the opportunity to further my knowledge of nonprofits arts administration, the film business, and the unique film community in here in Austin. I’ve worked close to a dozen screenings. AFS facilitated a dialogue between filmmakers in attendance and the audience for two screenings. By listening to these dialogues I’ve learned more about the laborious process of conceiving, writing, directing, and finding an audience for a film. I’ve also been able to see one of the world’s largest green screens, photograph set design for our website, and improve my skills with the Adobe Creative Suite. My hope is that each new experience, both at the Austin Film Society and graduate school, will lead to a collective whole. That like Julian in Varda’s film KUNG FU MASTER, I too will become a master of my  craft, advancing to the next level in relentless pursuit of Mr. X, the ever-mysterious future.

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