Calling all Film Fans
On May 12-13, UW Bothell students hosted a free Independent Film Festival in the North Creek Events Center (May 13 was held in the commons). You may have noticed a row of purple and gold balloons leading to it and wondered what was happening.
Walking in, you were surrounded by film décor and a table full of free snacks. There were rows of chairs lined up in front of a projector, like a personal movie theater. This event was coordinated by students of the BIS 339B Indigenous Media and Documentary Film class.
If you enjoy films, let me tell you, this was the place to be. We watched three different films: Lili’s Apron; Sun, Moon and Feather; and Yes I am Not Iktomi. All the films fell under the theme of “Comedy and Diversity in the Americas.” After each movie there was a discussion of the film themes and any general questions people had. With a smaller group the conversation felt nice and personable, like UWB classes.
The students chose the themes and the movies to go along with them. The festival director was the professor for the course, Tami Blumenfield.
I had a conversation with Professor Blumenfield after the festival to better understand why it was so important. I was surprised to discover that there is a new club on campus called the Film Club.
According to Blumenfield, the purpose of the Film Festival is to “Create a feeling of community on campus through film.” For a small campus like ours, the feeling of community is definitely desired. Another purpose is to spread independent films to students who may not have otherwise watched them.
Blumenfield commented on her teaching style with regards to producing film festivals: “The nice thing about the festival is that it’s not actually me doing any of the arrangements, I’m just the facilitator for the student committees. I really want students to gain the experience of producing a festival, working together and not just in groups…but to work across groups to make an event happen.”
If watching independent films doesn’t appeal to you, don’t let that deter you. Blumenfield made it clear that the Film Club isn’t focusing on just independent films. “The Scope has yet to be defined,” she said. Essentially the Club is geared towards anyone who is interested in films in any sense of the word.
The Film Club hasn’t had a formal club meeting yet, and the film festival was their first big event. Their first meeting will deal with the focus of the club itself. Blumenfield said, “It could be anything from getting together to watch films, to organizing other events like this. It could be more production oriented where people want to actually make films…What we really wanted to do was get locally produced films for the festival.”
If you are interested in anything pertaining to film or just a way to get involved in school, the Film Club is a great place to go. Not only can you watch films (who doesn’t enjoy watching movies?) but you can also discuss them with peers. In addition, if you’re pursuing film making or perhaps even acting in a film, the opportunity is there for you. As Blumenfield put it, “Anyone else is welcomed to get involved.”As a community based campus, opportunities to get to know each other and get active is important.
For information about the Film Club click here.