It is amazing how many people are surprisingly illiterate about film," said Associate Dean of Student Life and Director of the Bryan Center Peter Coyle. Coyle sees film as the major literature of our time, but laments the fact that so many students go through college without ever seeing the truly important movies-be they classics or modern masterpieces.
Existing for the purpose of solving this problem, Freewater Productions and Presentations has treated students to a wide array of blockbusters and lesser known movies for over 25 years. It is the task of the Presentations branch of the organization to show some of these great films for free every week, mostly on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday nights. Each semester the group comes up with unique ways to expose their fellow students to important directors, actors or genres in a series-oriented structure on weekday nights, like last fall's Positively Pacino Series.
The weekend, however, belongs to QuadFlicks, another branch of Freewater which specializes in bringing the big movies to the Bryan Center-usually the most popular or talked-about box-office releases from the previous semester. And although these screenings are not free ($4), the shows tend to attract a larger audience. Given the projected attendance for films like Star Wars Episode II and The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, one would expect the ticket price to cover Freewater's overall expenditures.
"No, we're lucky to break even.. I know we lost money last semester," said Toby Chu, the chair of QuadFlicks. She cited that a big blockbuster typically costs close to $1,100 to rent for the weekend, minimizing any profits. But the larger reason why Freewater rarely breaks even deals with the fact that they do not charge for the other three films shown during the week.
"I would like to think that if you go to all four films, that it's only $1 a show," Chu said.
But Freewater's overall goal is more expansive than what is shown in Griffith Auditorium every week: The Productions branch of Freewater, independent of the Presentations side, is filled with students who are making their own movies right under our noses.
As an advisor to Freewater Productions, Peter Coyle is intimately involved in the process of helping students organize and produce their film projects. "We give grants of up to $2,000 for students to actually make their own films based on a process where they submit ideas and demonstrate that they have the technical and artistic capacity to actually get them done on time," he said.
Despite not having that much visibility in campus culture, Freewater Productions has been a first step for many Duke alums with careers in Hollywood. Ross Spears and Jude Cassidy were the first students ever to receive a Freewater grant back in the 70s, and they went on to make the Oscar-winning feature documentary Agee in 1980 about the famed writer and critic James Agee.
From obscure Boris Karloff films on Tuesday nights to student-made start-ups, Freewater is a rich resource for mere enthusiasts and budding film students, alike. Plus, it gives organization members like Chu a chance to display their affection for the movies they show: "I have a thing-I like to dress up for the movies, like how I cut my hair for Amelie.."
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