Over the next few weeks, Western Washington University’s Arts and Music Productions (AMP) will provide students and community members with free film showings. Hosted in VU 552, these showings run bi-weekly starting on Jan. 15 and ending on March 12 from 7-9 p.m.
AMP’s Films Coordinator Cassidy Kannin is in her fourth-year at Western, and her first year in this position, placing her in an unusual situation, as she explained that former film coordinators held the position for multiple years, allowing them to spot trends over time. This has led to Kannin using new releases she personally enjoyed as well as collaborating with other groups on campus to make up these film lineups.
Q: How do you decide the films in the lineup for each quarter?
A: A lot of it was just sort of formulated off of the new releases that I’d seen, like “Superman” and “Weapons”; also trying to see what I could do with different collaborations on campus ...
… Coming into Winter quarter, the biggest decision maker was we pushed this massive survey towards the end of last quarter. There’s like 450 respondents and then we get to see what people want.
Note: Kannin noted some collaborations from last quarter, such as “Bottoms,” which was with the women’s rugby team, “Sinners,” which was with the Black Student Coalition and “Rocky Horror Picture Show,” which was with LGBTQ+ Western.
Q: What is your personal favorite movie on the lineup this quarter?
A: Maybe “Brokeback Mountain” or “Love Lies Bleeding,” which I mean, they’re kind of opposite sides of the spectrum, but also, you know, they’re both queer films, and nice love stories as well.
Note: Kannin went on to describe what newcomers could expect, noting that only one film will be held in a different building, that being “Sorry to Bother You,” which will be held in Frasier 102. Kannin also mentioned that popcorn, drinks and candy are all sold at these showings, Kannin estimating each item to cost somewhere around $2.
Q: What do you think some benefits for a student considering going could be?
A: These films aren’t just open to students, we have some community members come through. I would say, I think anybody, if they’re just thinking about showing up, just show up. It doesn’t matter if you’re coming alone or not, I think it’s still definitely an enjoyable experience.
Q: Are you guys going to be taking film suggestions again at the end of the quarter?
A: The official survey push was last quarter, but we do collect data throughout the year, just on a smaller scale. So I think we probably will have something, maybe at the end of this quarter…
Note: Kannin mentioned that many of the films that are decided are based on the genres students want to see most, or individual films students request the most.
All students and community members are welcome to attend for the remaining five film showings, the next being “Love Lies Bleeding” on Feb. 12 in VU 552. For more information about these events, you can visit AMP’s site or their Instagram.
Chance Loewi (he/him) is a reporter for The Front’s campus life beat. He is a third-year news and editorial journalism major. In his free time, you can find him playing basketball or ping pong with his friends.
