Watching movies and making friends
The University of Ottawa Cinema Club caters to any student interested in growing their knowledge of film and connecting with others to discuss and view new movies.
Liv Simmons, founder and current president, started the club in November with an emphasis on providing students who have an interest in film and cinema, a place to grow or strengthen this interest in a social way.
The club offers multiple services and opportunities to its measure. It hosts monthly meetings, where a film is watched and discussed based on a specific theme. Members are constantly submitting recommendations and reviews of films, and the executive is able to share these with the rest of the club and through social media channels.
Members of the club mainly connect through the club’s Discord server, where Simmons highlights the utilization of the channel function for member use. Different channels allow members to connect and stream films together virtually, or plan in-person meet-ups, and have discussions about different topics. Spontaneous film watches are common, and the ByTowne Cinema is certainly a geographical win for the club’s cinema outings.
With over 200 members, the club has a lot going on at any given time, but Simmons also acknowledges the strength of these members. Many members come from varying levels of knowledge of film and all hold interests in different genres. Additionally, the members are able to find a social place to enjoy company with film.
Simmons spoke on the importance of this club, highlighting how the space provides opportunity for students to “share a passion for cinema and talk to people about it,” whereas some students might not have other settings to do so in.
With the school year coming to an end, Simmons and the rest of the executive team is looking forward to next year, with the possibility of more in-person social events and film watching.
Although limited by the pandemic, the club has been able to enjoy social events this year, including a recent Oscars watch party (which gave the club some exciting moments to enjoy together). Plans to attend some of the local Ottawa film festivals and enjoy cinema together in-person are certainly on the top of Simmons’ and the rest of the executives’ lists for next year.
The executive team is thrilled with the first year of the club. They “love that people are connecting with each other and connecting with this club” and are looking forward to recruiting more members and the possibility of continued in-person events.
Students who are interested can follow the club @uocinemaclub for useful links with information on how to get involved.
