When examining the array of film-related societies on offer at the University of York, the options can feel almost overwhelming.
For Abdulla Alsaleh, President of Movie Society, the decision was easy: “I went straight to that table and I said ‘I want to join [Movie Society], let me do whatever’” he says, reminiscing on his first fresher’s fair.
The diversity of films on offer was what caused Treasurer of World Cinema Society James Tipper to join: “I gravitated towards the World Cinema Society because so much of it was new to me… I would have liked to have said, then, that I’d watched a lot of films. In my naïveté I felt my knowledge of French cinema was absolutely unparalleled, but I was very quickly humbled. My eyes were opened.”
York’s student-run cinemas include both tight-knit societies and wider groups of student movie-goers. York Student Cinema (YSC), for example, is open to the public as well as students, a fact that, according to Film Coordinator and Treasurer Clementine Hargreaves, is often overlooked. It shows films three times a week, and has been screening films since the late 1960s.
“I feel like the YSC community is such a good one, it’s got such a good spirit around it. It’s an infectious passion, and it did a lot for me in first year. I really found a home there”, she says.
Often, what brings students together to watch films at these societies is the desire to talk about films and to share their interest with others. For James, being part of World Cinema Society and “being surrounded by people with the same fervent passion about films” is a highlight.
Abdulla emphasises the social aspect of these societies, even when the films screened have serious topics. “Week one of this year, we watched a very politically charged Brazilian film called Black God, White Devil, and then later that night we went to Sunday Revs.” He added, “We still engage with films in a very in-depth way. That doesn’t mean we can’t have fun as students.”
YSC holds various interactive screenings, where audiences are encouraged to shout out or react however they want. “I think The Room screening [at YSC] was my favourite experience, because it was my first interactive experience,” says Clementine. “I’ve never heard people in a cinema laugh harder.”
She elaborates that, in cult screenings of The Room, directed by Tommy Wiseau, it is tradition for audiences to throw plastic spoons at the screen whenever a framed picture of them shows up, as the film famously had terrible set decoration. “The screening was very fun. The cleanup was not, but that’s beside the point. It was so funny, and I thought it was such a fun thing to be a part of.”
Being part of a student cinema means that committee members have complete control over what is screened, which can be satisfying when audiences react well. “It’s very gratifying to play a film you’re fond of and see the audience enjoying themselves”, James says. “With film, more than with most other societies, there is a more personal slant of being able to show something so important to you with others that a sports society, say, is unable to accommodate.”
For Clementine, screening The Nightmare Before Christmas was particularly special: “It’s such a nice thing to share that love with other people. Being able to put a film that I have a lot of passion for on a schedule […] is such a nice thing. It’s just the atmosphere is so good.”
For Abdulla, his favourite screening experience as part of Movie Society was A Woman Under the Influence on his birthday last year. “It just felt very special”, he says, “just sharing this very personal thing with everyone else. That was the highlight of […] my whole year last year.”
The screenings of these societies have plenty of atmosphere, often showing to a full room of people. The popularity of World Cinema Society’s first screening of the year, according to James, made it his favourite so far.
“We screened Memories of Murder to a packed room, and everyone seemed to love it. It was the first screening we did as the new committee, so it was really encouraging to see such a good turnout,” he stated. “It was a really formative experience for me, and a really wonderful start to my year.”
The popularity of screenings is not always the focus, however: “I guess, I’m just glad that now, after three years of doing this, these three societies are more willing to show films that are less mainstream,” says Abdulla. “Everyone’s really trying to show stuff that they love regardless of whether it will get the biggest turnout. Because we’re showing these unique films, we end up getting a turnout regardless of what we show, because people just want to talk about them.”
When asked whether film was important to students, the answer was a resounding “yes”:
“Absolutely, even if just for the sake of escapism and time away from studying,” says James. “Everybody watches films to some extent, so it makes for a really good social grounding too.”
Abdulla emphasises the importance of watching diverse films as a student, as they “can really shape how you view the world…“I wouldn’t be as politically engaged now, as I was, say, five years ago, if it wasn’t for […] the films I’m choosing to show to the people who come to Movie Soc. […] People come up to me saying ‘There’s no way I would have ever watched that film had it not been for Movie Society showing it.’ And to me, that just feels wonderful, just hearing that.”
For Clementine at YSC, film is universally important: “I think film is just sort of important to people, you know what I mean?” she says. “Important to students? It should be, it ought to be.”