ESRA Animation – Paris, France
ADU Student Explores Creative Media at ESRA Animation
As part of Abu Dhabi University’s growing International Internship Program, a student from ADU was selected to participate in a prestigious four-week filmmaking course at ESRA Animation in Paris—one of Europe’s leading institutions for film and audiovisual education.
The internship brought together 10 top students from across the GCC, with the ADU representative being one of only three selected from the UAE, and the only non-GCC citizen in the cohort. This competitive program provided intensive, hands-on training in the fundamentals of filmmaking, led by seasoned professionals from the French film industry.
The program featured:
- Introductory courses in cinematography, directing, editing, and sound, held during the first two weeks
- Workshops led by industry experts, offering students direct insights into professional filmmaking techniques
- Collaborative short film production, developed and shot in week three, with students taking on key roles such as continuity supervision and camera operations
- Post-production training in week four, where participants worked on editing and finalizing the film
- Skill development across the full filmmaking pipeline, from storyboarding to post-production
- Immersive cultural experiences in Paris, exposing students to France’s artistic heritage and creative industries
This program allowed the participating student to gain academic credit through an open elective, while also deepening their creative, technical, and cross-cultural competencies. The internship fostered independent thinking, teamwork, and professional readiness in a global setting.
Through such initiatives, ADU reinforces its mission to provide real-world international learning experiences that inspire students to become globally competent professionals in creative and emerging industries.