Berlin, Sean, Spike and me

Marion Schnelle on how covering a film festival brought her success

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The National Student Journalism Awards 2002

It all started with a far-fetched idea of my parents, who live in Berlin. I was suffering the worst kind of Leeds winter, and was about to miss the Berlin International Film Festival. "Why don't you cover the festival for the Leeds student newspaper?" they suggested. I laughed. Then I went ahead and did it.

While you wouldn't expect a small student publication to cover film festivals beyond Britain, I had our editor's full support. Managing to blag a festival pass, and promising my editor big names, I jetted off – and found myself rushing back and forth between non-stop screenings and packed press conferences, surrounded by the world's most important film critics, and awaiting the crème de la crème of directors, producers and actors.

I saw stars ranging from Juliette Binoche to Kirk Douglas, and the Leeds Student ended up publishing my articles based on press conferences with Spike Lee, Anthony Hopkins, and Sean Connery. These won me The Independent's Best Student Arts Journalist award.

Poor Sean bore the usual James Bond references with good grace, but I was surprised that the world's press couldn't come up with better questions. In the case of Spike Lee, the press could do no good after the first questioner put him in a very foul mood indeed. Eminent journalists tried to ask kinder, more understanding questions, but found themselves being branded racists and crumbling under Lee's acerbic onslaught. As for Hopkins, he struggled valiantly to defend the awful Hannibal, and revealed that sometimes Gucci shoes will get him going. Into character, that is.

All in all, it was a fantastic film festival, and brilliant fun reporting on it. Winning the Best Student Arts Journalist award was a great honour for me, and having the opportunity to do work experience alongside people whose writing I have admired for years was a rich reward, indeed. And as for you future award-winners, I can only urge you to aim high.

The Arts prize is one of 13 in this year's Independent/NUS Student Journalism awards. You have until 31 July to enter. Other awards are for fashion writing, design, travel writing, news reporting, feature writing, photography, campaigning and the best website; ring 020-7561 6501 or click here for more details.

education@independent.co.uk