Adam Lichty

If you happen to be frustrated by the lack of access to alternative forms of film in the area, Jeff Heinle has a solution for you.

Heinle, a professor in the department of communications and theatre, has set out to create an SDSU Film Society that will remedy this situation.

Heinle was inspired to start this organization based on his own college experience.

“When I was an undergrad, I belonged to a college film society and it was a great experience. I was able to come into contact with films that exposed me to different cultures, additional historical issues, various artists,” Heinle said. “I expected forums like this to be a part of every college experience; besides, many of the screenings provided plenty of laughs.”

“I really want students at SDSU to have the similar opportunity that I had to experience the incredible variety of visual culture that motion pictures offer while at college,” Heinle said.

Students are currently working on earning the Student’s Association approval for the society to become an official SDSU organization, Heinle said. He said he isn’t exactly sure when the society will become an actual club.

“It’s not an official club, but (students) are meeting to get that started,” he said.

After it gains recognition by the university, the primary goals of the film society will be to plan and exhibit film screenings, film festivals and special events, such as speakers at SDSU; as well as provide opportunities for students to travel to film festivals.

There is a great potential for the organization’s success because its objective is all-encompassing and it’s able to reach out to other organizations.

“Since film touches upon so many interests and areas of study that I would hope the film society would work with so many other student organizations,” Heinle said.

“For example, international cinema would appeal to language clubs and global studies, while documentaries might be of interest to history and political science student organizations,” he said.

In addition to screening films, other experiences provided would be the hands-on area of selecting films, organizing the promotional material for the screenings and special media events, and managing the accounts.

Heinle hopes the film society’s selections will cover all sorts of films from all over the world that are generally inaccessible in this region.

“I hope the focus of the society would be to present international cinema, documentaries, avant-garde or experimental films, animation, short films that you always hear about at the Oscars but never get to see, regional filmmakers and independent films,” Heinle said.

“Film societies usually provide an alternative media experience or put on retrospectives-of a director, genre or a national cinema, such as French films of the 1960s,” he said.

Meetings of the SDSU Film Society are held the first Monday of the month at 6 p.m. in Pugsley Hall in room 300. Their next meeting is scheduled for Oct. 4.