Laurier Free Film Series, winter edition

The Laurier Free Film Series has made its return for the winter season. Each Thursday night throughout the semester, the series will screen one film, with an array of films that should get any Laurier cinephile excited.

Last semester’s selections raised questions and awareness through the series’ theme Cinema with a Social Conscience and brought in notable films such as All the President’s Men. The theme of the winter series, Through the Looking Glass, centres on the principle of self-reflexivity.

Catching up with The Cord, co-curator Patrick Faubert, who has run the film series for approximately four years, discussed the movement and growth of the series.

Although the selection of films is crucial to making the series a success, the biggest challenge comes from the overall attendance of Laurier undergrads. “We had our peak audience last winter 2011, and that was 45 people in some screenings, but it was all community members. That’s great, but it would be cool if we could get 30 undergrads,” said Faubert.

It is no surprise that Laurier’s student body enjoys seeing films — making the film series the perfect opportunity for expanding cinematic horizons, as the series completely public event that is free of charge.

With this week’s screening of Vincent Minnelli’s The Bad and the Beautiful (1952), the winter film selection should definitely spark up some interest.

David Lynch, The Coen Brothers and Quentin Tarantino are among the many notable directors that will have their films screened during the series and these names alone are enough to send any film junkie into a frenzy.

When asked which film he is particularly excited for, Faubert replied, “I have to say Barton Fink by the Coen Brothers. If you haven’t seen (Fredrick Fellini’s) 8 ½, that’s scandalous.”

Trying my best to shield my embarrassment for having not seeing the film, I already know what I will be doing February 9th at 7:00 pm.

Dates of screenings:

January 12 – Day for Night (Francois Truffaut, 1973)

January 19 – The Bad and the Beautiful (Vincente Minnelli, 1952)

January 26 – Mulholland Drive (David Lynch, 2001)

February 2 – Living in Oblivion (Tom DiCillo, 1995)

February 9 – 8 1/2 (Federico Fellini, 1963)

February 16 – Barton Fink (Joel & Ethan Coen, 1991)

March 1 – Broken Embraces (Pedro Almodovar, 2009)

March 8 – Inglourious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino, 2009)

March 15 – Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story (Michael Winterbottom, 2005)

March 22 – Sunset Boulevard (Billy Wider, 1950)

March 29 – The Fall (Tarsem Singh, 2006)