Hello! My name is Esther Bienek, and I am a second-year student at Michigan State University studying Creative Writing and Creative Advertising with a minor in Fiction Filmmaking. This summer, thanks to the financial support of the Heckman Scholarship for Education Abroad, I had the opportunity to study abroad in London, England.

I’ve known that I wanted to study abroad since high school, so when I learned about the Film in Britain program, I was ecstatic. It was the obvious choice because it allowed me to immerse myself in a new culture, further explore my passion for storytelling, and meet with professionals and academics who work in film production and film-adjacent fields. The program – held within the walls of the esteemed British Film Institute – gave me the unique opportunity to familiarize myself with the inner workings of the British film scene and learn about movies through the lens of London’s rich cinematic and cultural history.

Instead of many assignments, students in the program were tasked with producing one culminating project in the form of an essay or a short film in the genre of their choosing. For my group’s film, I was able to write the screenplay, co-direct, and light a few of the scenes. While working on that project, I greatly improved my skills in directing and screenwriting stories based on specified locations. Watching the script, I wrote spring into life was an awesome experience, and working hand-in-hand with my classmates helped me gain a new perspective on the creative process.

Outside of my class project, some of the most inspirational and insightful experiences I had during my program happened in the classroom, learning from guest speakers who worked as independent filmmakers, film archivists, and projectionists. Hearing their life stories opened my mind to the scope of possibilities that exist both in and outside of the film industry. I was especially intrigued to learn about the unique ways that the filmmakers gained funding for their projects and how London’s diverse inner workings impacted their movies. These class sessions often served, in part, as historical and cultural lessons, and I walked away with a deeper understanding of London as the meeting place of different people and cultures that it is.

My advice to anyone considering studying abroad, whether it is the Film in Britain program or not, would be to reach out to the people around them. Don’t say no to opportunities and try to build friendships and connections with everyone you meet. I know that for me, outside of all the cool things I did, the people I met made my time overseas into the memorable experience that it was. Try to open yourself to the adventure of it all, and take it as it comes, but remember that you only get to do it once, so don’t regret not giving it your all.

Name: Esther Bienek
Status: Sophomore
Major: English
Hometown: Marquette, Michigan
Program: Film in Britain