“Flicks!” Annual Showcase to Spotlight Student Films

By Aleena Ahmad     4/16/24 10:35pm

The Department of Art will have its annual “Flicks!” student film showcase, featuring films made by current students across multiple genres in the Rice Cinema April 20. The showing will begin at 7:07 p.m. and will be free to attend.

Since the 1970s, the department has included a film showcase as a part of its end-of-year celebrations, according to Maria Martinez, the Events and Program Coordinator for the Department of Art.

“The series is intended to offer a platform for students to show their work that has been conceptualized and crafted during their time in the filmmaking classes,” Martinez wrote in an email to the Thresher.

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Films created in any class and of any genre can qualify, from documentaries to handmade films, but only a select few are chosen per class every year. The screening list of films and students featured will be finalized in the coming days, according to Professor Sindhu Thirumalaisamy from the Department of Art.

“We have been doing this for decades as a way of screening the best films by students from the film classes, regardless of their status as majors or anything else,” Charles Dove, director of Rice Cinema, wrote in an email to the Thresher.

According to Martinez, films from past students are also being stored in the ongoing “Films from the Archive” project in addition to a range of other media, from soundtracks to KTRU recordings. Located in the Woodson Research Center at Fondren Library, the project catalogs and stores films and media to be accessible to Rice students and the wider community. Films are added to the catalog annually, Martinez said.

Following the opening night, the films will also be available for a limited time online to reach a wider audience, according to Martinez. After the showcase, the films will be uploaded to the department's YouTube channel through commencement weekend, until May 5th.

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