Care to be astounded? How about scared, nervous or ecstatic? Think exhilaration requires a road trip away from your dorm room or apartment? Think again. One need look no farther than Newcomb Hall Theater and the selection of up-and-coming films on Grounds in the spring semester to get such thrills.
During the spring, student organizations at the University will offer a wide variety of films, from blockbusters of months before, to widely varying foreign cinema, to student-made films. Three organizations in this crusade to ensure student entertainment, and perhaps even cinematic education, are Cinematheque, OFFScreen and the Film and Media Society.
Cinematheque's spring lineup includes movie hits from the past months coupled with a blend of older, cult films. One such pairing is of last fall's "Fight Club" with Thursday evening and midnight showings of "The Sound of Music."
James Luckard, fourth-year College student and Cinematheque president, said he hopes "Music," which has never had a theatrical re-release, will generate considerable interest. Luckard added that the coupling of the two divergent films was done intentionally to offer students a variety of setting and tone in the theater.
"We could show something dark [to follow 'Fight Club'], but who wants to sit through 'Fight Club' and then go see something that is even more dark?" Luckard said.
Cinematheque's schedule blossoms with such blockbusters as current Academy Award contenders "American Beauty," winner of three Golden Globes, and "Three Kings," as well as "Life is Beautiful," winner of three Oscars last year.
Lesser-known movies on the Cinematheque calendar include "Sliding Doors," which fared extremely well overseas, and the '60s cult classic "Barbarella."
OFFScreen, an independent and foreign film organization on Grounds, brings an array of international movies to the University.
"I would like OFFScreen to be a leader in the rebirth of the arts at U.Va. that [University President] John Casteen and company are so valiantly supporting," said Adam Popp, fourth-year College student and OFFScreen president.
OFFScreen's drive is to make lesser-known movies from around the world accessible to students and members of the Charlottesville community.
"Vinegar Hill simply can't get all the arthouse and foreign films that need to come here," Popp said. "I think there needs to be another venue in Charlottesville, and [the University] can help share the load."
In the spring session, OFFScreen's calendar includes the acclaimed Atom Egoyan film "Felicia's Journey." The dramatic thriller depicts a girl's fight to evade a quietly menacing serial killer as she travels from Ireland to England in search of her boyfriend. Through character interaction and the use of flashbacks, Egoyan adds amazing resonance to what would otherwise be an ordinary genre film.
Other titles include international award-winning films such as "The Celebration," "Rosetta" and "After Life."
"After Life," from Japan, is "a film potent with rejuvenating humanism," Popp said.
The University furthers its support for independent cinema through the Film and Media Society. On April 12, the Society will open its doors to its own University video festival, the Salmagundi Film and Video Festival.
The Festival demonstrates the potential artistry of University students by exhibiting their locally shot videos.
"I expect the quality of videos to be better this year than ever due to the new digital media center in Clemons," said Meghan Eckman, president of the Society and fourth-year College student.
Thanks to the seven donated video cameras from the Robertson Media Center, students have technology available to them to meet the April 5 deadline with original narrative films and mind-bending shorts.
All of these organizations' films will screen at Newcomb Hall Theater. For more information, consult the Cinematheque calendar, available at the University Union Office in Newcomb Hall or at other locations around Grounds. OFFScreen's calendar has not been printed yet, but its schedule is available online at www.student.virginia.edu/~indie.
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