Each semester Fordham’s visual arts department puts together a student film festival to showcase films that students have been working on in their film classes. The Fordham film festival, which takes place every semester on the evening of the last day of classes, is a free event for all faculty, staff and students who wish to attend  This semester, the event will take place on Thursday, Dec. 10 at 6 p.m. in SL 24L.

Mark Street, associate professor of the visual arts department and head of the film concentration, oversees the student run film festival that is funded by the visual arts department.  Street mentioned the student film festival is a “place where students can show their work outside the scope of the classroom and in a larger setting,” but also a place where students can see “the risk that other students have taken this semester in their films.”

The Fordham film festival has been going on for almost 20 years. Street said “students can expect to see a lot of variety within the films.” The film festival is open to all students of any year. The films presented run up to 12 minutes,Street said that this semester he is expecting the film festival “to feature between 20 to 30 films created by student filmmakers.” He added,  “The visual arts department allows the students to make films that they want to create and which they feel comfortable with.” Street mentioned that some students are working “in narrative films, documentary films and experimental films—all which he hopes will be featured.”

Street added that they are hoping for a big turn out and mentioned that the film festival “is a great way to get a pulse out of what people have been making this semester.” Some of the actors in the films are not only friends but also theater students who are featured in the films themselves, making the festival a collaborative event with the theater department. .

One of the goals behind the film festival is to “get people who are watching movies on their laptops and cellphones in isolation to watch a film together, in a community and with an audience,” Street said. “This is the type of experience we don’t want to see disappear.”

There will be snacks and drinks served at a reception held before the screening of the films. A program with a short description about the film will also be handed out so  viewers can get a feel of the films that will be presented. At 6:30 p.m, the films will begin  playing consecutively but “students can pop in and out” if  they choose too Street said.