People like Derrick Jones were born to make ordinary humans, mere mortals, feel guilty for taking naps in the afternoon. At 31, Jones has his master’s degree from the University, has published four books and as of this May, will be fraternizing with the glitziest names in show-biz at the Cannes Film Festival in France. ‘I like to be busy,’ Jones said. Indeed. Now enrolled at Ohio University to pursue film, Jones had the idea to enroll in the American Pavilion Student Film Program when he saw another classmate glancing over the pamphlet a few minutes before class. ‘I could do that,’ Jones remembers thinking. The pamphlet boasted ‘participating in educational workshops, seminars, pitch sessions and roundtable discussions’ with people like Spike Jonze, Michael Moore and Jude Law. After finishing the application filled with essay questions, recommendations and resumes, Jones was notified that he was guaranteed a spot among the 150 the program accepts every year. But there’s a slight snag. The internship is unpaid. It’s also across the world. Plane fare and spending money are left up to the individual and could mean between $6,000 to $8,000 out of Jones personal piggy bank. To help with some of the costs, Jones hosted a movie night at the Cla-Zel on March 21. Showing his own films, like the short documentary ‘631,’ a story about his childhood home, or even acting in ‘Big Black Good Man,’ a movie he made last year. It was a ‘modest, respectable crowd’ Jones said, and helped to raise ‘a couple hundred dollars’ towards the daunting expenses of his trip. And he’s no stranger to the film festival scene. Short documentaries have been his forte since leaving Bowling Green and ‘631’ has been in front of audiences across the country. Featured in the San Diego Black Film Festival, the Texas Black Film Festival and the Langston Hughes African American Film Festival, Jones insists his films are not solely for a black audience. ‘I didn’t make it to be a black film for black film festivals,’ he said. ‘It’s a personal story, not necessarily a black person’s story.’ In France, Jones can put what he’s learned all these years of college and in the real world to good use. He knows he probably won’t be the next Steven Spielberg, but some of Spielberg’s colleagues may be at the festival this year and could even be watching one of his films in the Short Film Corner in an area just outside of the tents where fame seems to seep through the cracks. In the meantime, he’s working on a full length documentary about the Lucasville riots of 1993 and networking full time. He scored the movie night at the Cla-Zel from help from one of his fraternity brothers and his recommendation for the film program from his former advisor and Assistant Dean of Students Deb Novak. ‘I’m still connected to BG in a lot of ways,’ he said. And after this May, he’ll hopefully be connected to a lot more than that.