by Crystal Branden

sanchezch@mnstate.edu

College offers students many opportunities to, not only engage in higher education, but pursue topics and subjects of interest through clubs and organizations. The Film Loop where everyone is welcome regardless of major or affiliation with film, is one of these.

The Film Loop has a lot to offer. Whether it is weekly meetings, where students can share their feelings about film and their own works, or the club’s new Secret Cinema  Series Sundays, The Film Loop provides many ways to get involved with film.

“Anyone at all can join The Film Loop,” film sophomore and The Film Loop co-president Rachel Soland said.

The Film Loop has weekly meetings where students are able to discuss their feelings about the topic of the week or view screenings of fellow students’ work. Screening student works for peers helps film students gain useful critiques that they may not have revieved elsewhere.

“We believe that students who work hard on their projects deserve as much feedback as possible, and that may be difficult at times when the student is in a large class with only so much time,” film senior and co-president Michael Robinson said. “The Film Loop provides the opportunity to give that student the additional feedback they want to hone their craft. We also provide the opportunity to recieve feedback from non-majors as well.”

One new aspect to the club this year are Secret Cinema Series Sundays, an idea brought forth by current advisor David Church who held similar events at Indiana University. Open to all students, The Film Loop takes part in an opportunity to shine light on films that most people overlook. Based on board member interest, the goal to provide variety and percieved audience acceptance, the film series is established to take place every Sunday of the school year.

“Our goal is to bring people together who may have vastly different interests and hopefully get them interested in something unexpected,” Soland said. “We hope that, maybe, people will discover new films — films that they otherwise would have ignored.”

The Film Loop also has radio show and publishes a journal each semester. Their radio show aims to discuss current events and current themes in the film industry with a mission to get people thinking critically about cinematic works. Though on hold until the campus KMSC radio station finishes with construction, the radio show will be held at 2 p.m. on Sundays when KMSC is back on the air.

The Film Loop Journal is hoping to join library archives on campus starting this year, but will be available as hard copies posted at various locations around campus near the end of each semester. Showcasing articles written by students, the journal offers a place for student expression.

“The journal is a compilation of written student work about popular culture centered film and television,” Robinson said. “This includes film reviews, opinion pieces and short essays. We even take excerpts from screenplays. Students usually grab the journals on the newspaper stands around campus once they are published.”

Those interested in writing for the journal are encouraged to send their work to editor Chris Sanchez at sanchezch@mnstate.edu.

Last year, the club incorporated a spring film festival into their line-up of events. The annual festival provides an opportunity for those in the area who don’t have a classroom setting to share their works a platform for expanding their  interest in film.

“The Red River Film Festival is a chance for high school students in the Minnesota, North and South Dakota area to try out filmmaking,” Robinson said. “The Film Loop believes that filmmaking is a great communal and artistic experience that everyone should venture into, regardless of who they are or where they live.”

The Film Loop offers a place for cinematic enthusiasts, casual movie-watchers and non-majors alike to celebrate film.

The Film Loop meets every Thursday at 7 p.m. in Library  103. Secret Cinema Series Sundays are at 7 p.m. in the Weld auditorium.

For more information about The Film Loop, and to join in the discussion, visit their facebook group.