Courtesy of URCG
UR Cinema Group (URCG) does more than just run UR’s weekly movie theatre in Hoyt Auditorium. In addition to selecting and showing a wide array of recently released movies each semester, the student-run group co-sponsors events, plans trips and much more.
“[URCG] provides a real service to campus,” URCG Trailer Editor and senior Ben Mitchell said. “It feels great to know that you’re doing something that positively impacts a majority of the students at the University.”
One way that URCG reaches such a large audience is through co-sponsorships. For groups putting on movie showings — for study breaks or other reasons — URCG will pay for half of the cost and do all of the dirty work for procuring and showing the movie. These events usually happen on weekdays and are free to students.
A new project that URCG has been working on is a collaboration with ROCTickets, the discount ticket program for UR undergraduates through the Wilson Commons Students Activities (WCSA). This is the first time the two groups have worked together, and the team has lined up a trip to the midnight premiere of Peter Jackson’s “The Hobbit.” URCG and WCSA will provide buses and movie passes for just $10, making it an easy, low-cost study break for the whole campus.
Another annual URCG program is their Oscars party in Hoyt Auditorium. This event is an opportunity for students to watch the Oscars and enjoy some food. URCG is also planning their second-ever film festival for February, with a ’90s theme that they hope will induce nostalgia in students.
“We aren’t prepared to make an official announcement about what films we’ll be showing, but they’ll be revealed with much hoopla along with the rest of our spring schedule,” URCG Secretary and junior William Vezinaw said.
URCG focuses on pleasing students. Every winter and summer break, they conduct an online survey asking the campus community which movies they’d like to see, and the results lead directly to what is shown. Additionally, when projectors malfunction, they try to schedule another showing of the movie — free of charge.
In the end, URCG is about the cinematic experience and a good time. “You get to hang out every week and watch ‘new-ish’ movies,” Mitchell said. “What more could you want?”
Esce is a member of
the class of 2015.
