Film and TV Society: Screenings and Socials Officer

I believe that watching a film together with someone is like shared dreaming. When the silver screen lights up, it marks the start of a magical period where you can experience a story alongside others, and everyone is brought together through the allure of cinema. For me, running for Screenings and Socials Officer is an opportunity to sustain this dream, to nurture our growing community of cinephiles.

I view screenings as an essential part of the Film Soc experience, and I believe in selecting films that are diverse in genre, time period, and geographic origin. If elected, I will aim to curate a screening catalogue that balances non-English cinema and films from underrepresented communities with collaborations with other societies as well as theme-based screenings based on current events in the world of cinema.

Socials are a wonderful opportunity to make friends in an inclusive and entertaining setting, and I aim to provide a variety of options for members to choose from. In addition to regular excursions to both mainstream and independent cinemas, I hope to organise trips to film-related destinations such as the London Film Museum and exhibitions like Leicester Square's "Scenes in the Square."

During the past year, the Film Society has been a home away from home for me, and I'm incredibly grateful for both the films I've discovered and the dear friends I've made. If elected, I promise to bring this feeling of warmth and belonging to all members!

As a member of the film society, I have come to greatly enjoy my time at screenings. I’ve made many friends at the society, who have offered different perspectives on films.

At the film society screenings, I have watched many films that helped me broaden my portfolio, like the silent film The Passion of Joan of Arc or the documentary For Sama. The film The Passion of Joan of Arc showed me various film techniques that many filmmakers used in the silent era. For example, since actors couldn’t convey emotions through their voice in the film, filmmakers relied heavily on the score to advance the emotion of the characters, much more so than filmmakers do now.

The film For Sama instead taught me experiences of people living lives so different to my own, and their struggles living in war-torn Syria. I had always assumed that I would flee my own home at the first sign of conflict but seeing Waad al-Kataeab stay in Aleppo with her husband, as they navigate their once-peaceful home and help the victims of the war made me consider the strong pull of sentimentality to one’s home and the people who live there.

As the Screenings Producer for the Film Society, I will make sure to screen a wide variety of films, from a array of different countries, time periods, and backgrounds, to offer audience members many different perspectives.

UCL’s Film Society is, in my view, the core of what the UCL experience should be. Not only is it able to introduce people to a broad range of films, but it uniquely brings London to life through the stories it helps to create and the perspectives it helps to nurture. Film Soc has helped to deepen and solidify my love of film and the community that surrounds it, one that I hope to play a larger role in next year.

As a first year at UCL, I immediately found my people within BFI Cinema outings, arthouse film screenings, and a *very effective* Valentine’s Day Party (shoutout to whoever came up with the “traffic light” idea, I absolutely put it to good use ;)). 

As Screenings and Socials Officer, I want to continue to foster these meaningful relationships through collaborative events with other societies, screenings celebrating international, LGBTQ+, BIPOC, and female-led talents, and themed weeks (food, coming-of-age, music/als, etc). These events offer the chance for people of all backgrounds to bond over shared experiences, despite how different their upbringings or opinions may be, and I have the organisational and interpersonal skills to plan and lead them. This opportunity to connect and create stories and memories that outlive our time at UCL is what makes our time here worthwhile, and UCL Film Society a second home. 

 

UCL Film & TV society is a huge community, and it is not always easy to find the right person to talk to within the group.  

Students join this society to meet people who can inspire them, to recruit those who are willing to produce a short film together or simply chatter with others who share the same lists of favourite movies. I strongly believe in the importance of social events as a meeting point for talented and passionate students to interact. I consider socialisation as fuel to an engine that drives creativity within individuals while encouraging collaborative projects with others. 

Thus, I would like to dedicate myself as a committee member who hosts regular screenings and social events that welcome anyone who is interested in the film or media industry. I will prioritise the community's opinions/suggestions as those events need to exist purely for the members.

As I was also one of those students who were lost when first joining the massive community in film society, I am capable of observing and understanding what stages of confusion new members will be going through, meaning I am very willing to help others to become familiar with how the society works. 

I have been studying film for 7 years now, and my love for the variety of film the world has to offer is endless. For me film, the way communities find an avenue through artistic expression and people are able to come together most beautifully. As Screenings and Socials Officer, I believe I will be able to create this space actively and consistently in the coming year and be a robust member of FilmSoc in a meaningful way.