Through art and critical thinking, BYUH’s film forums invite students and faculties to watch, reflect and grow as they learn to love films, says BYUH ohana
At BYU—Hawaii, film is more than just entertainment, it is a way to provoke feelings and thoughts to inspire people, said BYUH members. Through film forums, said by a student and faculty members, they can talk about what they think about certain films and how it could incite change for them as they learn skills such as critical thinking, whether inside or outside a classroom setting.
Mason Allred, an associate professor in the Faculty of Arts & Letters said, film forums can help individuals to appreciate art as it meets critical thinking. “Watching a movie with more critical thought is helpful because you realize some issues in the films, which leads you to become more logical and able to notice how things work," he said. Allred said it is a good skill to have because it also helps in real life. “You can notice things about people, recognize their personalities and what they say or do. You appreciate life and little details better. So keep watching and thinking,” he continued.
What are film forums?
According to the Film Forum website, film forums began in the 70’s as an alternative screening space for independent films. The Film Forum, according to the website, is the only autonomous nonprofit cinema in New York City and a few U.S. states including Los Angeles. The organization’s aim is to present an international array of films that treat diverse social, political, historical and cultural realities, says the website. As mentioned by the website, they focus on unique cinematic qualities, historical importance of an individual and within a genre to today’s relevance in the world.
As for Brigham Young University—Hawaii, film forums have been done for quite a time, said Allred. “When I was still a student here back in 2003, film forums were already happening,” Allred shared. He said the idea of film forums is to provide a space primarily for students, faculties and community to gather and enjoy movies and talk about them. “It is for fun but it is one step above [from learning], a little bit educational to try and see movies that individuals might not normally see,” he shared.
Allred said through a forum, whether it might be in an architectural space or a space to gather and talk about films, individuals can discuss and exchange ideas about movies that will inspire them.
Nicholas Johnson, a vocal performance senior from Idaho said, he did not know that there was a film forum in the university until two years into his attendance in the school. “I love talking about movies so I started attending them,” he said.
Jim Tueller, a professor under the Faculty of Culture, Language & Performing Arts said, he decided to attend film forums as it shows good films. “[Besides], it's free and I like to support my colleagues as my wife and I enjoy time [to watch] together,” he said.
Boundaries in film forums
On one hand, film forums here at BYUH consider what the university code of conduct entails, said Allred, which is to build disciples of Jesus Christ by maintaining the highest standards in [personal] conduct regarding honor, integrity, morality, etc. “We want to show movies that would make sense in the campus, either with what’s going on right now in the world or just a really interesting movie that recently came out,” Allred said.
In terms of movie content, Allred said the main driving filter that helped him and other faculties involved in curating film forums was showing extreme content. “We don’t want to show anything that is too extreme in terms of violence, language or sex. So within those boundaries, we really think about films that can be shown,” he explained. Allred added, they also try to show movies from Pacific and Asia aside from Hollywood in the U.S.
On the other hand, topics that are usually hard to talk about are usually important such as racism, gender equality and more, said Allred. “We don’t want to pretend it’s not and we don’t want to ignore it. But a lot of films that usually addressed such topics may show or do too much to be shown in this campus,” he said. Allred said some audience members may have different opinions on different topics. “Some may see [certain] films as excellent movies and some may be triggered by it,” he explained. He said curating films to show in film forums should educate, inform, uplift and entertain. “It’s kind of a tightrope we walk and figuring it out as we don’t want to provoke people. We want to be considerate but we want to make it a bit challenging too— to think new thoughts and provoke ideas and feelings that are helpful,” he explained.
Enhancing real life aspect through film forum
Regarding thought-provoking ideas, film forums can help in teaching concepts like critical thinking and media analysis, said Allred. He said it is called a film forum for a reason. “It’s not just ‘Hey, [let’s] watch a movie, eat some popcorn and go home. We are trying to teach, model and encourage these skills of being attentive in how a movie works, how a story is told that evoke feelings in the audience, without making it feel like a class,” Allred explained.
As some people may feel like they do not belong in film forums, Allred said, they open up discussion that encourages dialogue around social, cultural and ethical issues which can be relatable to people. “Sometimes, the movie’s supposed to do that but sometimes we directly discuss some things in terms of identity, gender or race,” he said. Allred said once an individual participates in the forum by asking questions or commenting, then they are getting a little more critical. “Once you have an idea, a hunch, you push it another step or two [to answer more],” he said.
Attending one of the film forums, Johnson said, it was interesting to hear what the other students had to say. “We were watching the Japanese dubbed film called The Boy and the Heron and the students pointed out things that I hadn’t personally caught like the [said] film has previous motifs from Studio Ghibli,” he said.
Allred said, aside from being critical thinkers, film can shape our understanding of the world, through cultivation theory. “In communications,
a cultivation theory is, if you watch a lot of something, it tends to shape your perception of reality— what you expect and hope in terms of how humans think and function,” he explained. He said it is helpful if you watch [films] with a critical mind because individuals learn to be a better human without falling for some bad or even straight up evil representations. “It is important to represent bad things but you don’t want your audience to identify with that. So, by watching movies, you should learn how to better discern these kinds of things in the real world,” Allred continued.
For Johnson, he said, he believed that by watching and discussing films, it can be a tool for building empathy and intercultural peace building. “I think it's important that when you watch certain films or listen to certain music, those can help you to feel the spirit and that spirit is what incite change within us,” he said.
Looking back at one of the films he watched in the forum called “Night of the Living Dead”, Johnson said, it made him think of one scene of Duane Jones, one of the characters in the film, where he got shot because everyone thought he was a zombie. “The film was shown after Martin Luther King Jr. had been assassinated and [for me], it was a big political statement without being overtly political,” he said. Johnson compared the realization to the gospel of Jesus Christ. “We don’t have to try to force [the gospel] on the people. But through simple, subtle acts of service, we can incite change in their hearts and character to have them come closer to Christ,” he explained.
In addition, Johnson said he learned to know when to listen and when to talk during the film forums. “I am pretty confident when I talk about things or when I’m in discussions but sometimes I don’t need to be the one talking. Oftentimes, I need to be the one listening,” he said. He explained it is an important skill in life, not just in film forums. “I think film not only influences us but we influence film also—for good and for bad,” he said.
We want to be considerate but we want to make it a bit challenging too— to think new thoughts and provoke ideas and feelings that are helpful.
Words for viewers
One purpose of the film forum is to walk out loving movies a little bit more, Allred said. “They’re not just some kind of short form videos that we see on TikTok. Films are something where a lot of people put so much work in — from writing the story, revising it, getting the right actors and funding, shooting and more,” he explained. Allred said their hope is to see individuals learn to love movies a little bit more by sitting down for an hour and a half or two to watch these movies with them.
Allred encouraged individuals to come to film forums and learn how to break from the algorithms of movies that can be found solely on the internet, and not following what everyone is watching. “[Because]we don’t want that. In film forums, we're trying to help break through all that noise and show you some movies that we think are really good or at least worth watching that don't fit in those algorithms,” he explained. Allred said in a world where there are too many movies, film forums at BYUH can help individuals choose what is worth-watching. “We'll help you watch things that you should be watching even if they're not showing up on TikTok,” he shared.
Through moving images and sound, Tuller said, art in general gives individual models and stories to think about life. “We live life always in the present, so art gives us a chance to process lived experiences, remember the past and prepare for the future,” he said.