Union Board shows independent films

Many students on campus have been to a Union Board movie at some point or another. They're free, they're on campus and you get to see some of the big budget films you may have missed. This year, however, there is another reason to go to the Whittenberger Auditorium -- the Independent Film Series.\nStarting this semester, every 2nd and 4th Wednesday and Sunday, a different low budget (and the occasional high budget) independent art film will be shown at the Whittenberger. \n"We realized that there was a great student demand for an alternative film series," said senior Chris Wilkerson, the UB film committee's assistant director. "We wanted to offer them movies they might not get to see otherwise."\nFilm series director Ryan O'Connell said a lot of the inspiration for this addition to the UB offerings came from its Student Film Fest in January.\n"We had 12 films from IU students showing at the Whitt, with faculty and staff judging them," he said. "We had a fantastic turnout for the festival, and then people stayed for the professional independent films we showed afterwards. The reaction was so overwhelmingly positive it really got us thinking."\nDespite Bloomington's small size, there are a number of movie options -- from the traditional Kerasotes to the Ryder film series, O'Connell said. \n"Bloomington has an amazing film culture, especially considering that we don't even have a film school of our own," he said. "The whole (independent film) thing came about from an expressed need for something different. We're really excited to see the response grow."\nJunior Claire Tramm, UB marketing director, had a very personal reaction to the addition. \n"I just went up and gave Ryan a hug when they decided … I was so proud of them for doing something so cool," she said.\nThe only change for this new series is the addition of a $2 admission charge, as opposed to the regular film series, which is free with a student ID. O'Connell said the rise in price was needed because there might be a limited audience. \n"With our normal series, we know that the house will be full for almost every movie," he said. "With this new one, we need to charge admission to offset the costs, at least to begin with." \nWith a consistent student turnout, the UB hopes this will eventually change. \nThe next film in the series, "Better Luck Tomorrow," is an MTV and Paramount project about four over-achieving Asian-American high school students who turn to a life of petty crime, as long as it doesn't interfere with their schoolwork. Their dual identity allows them all to escape the pressure for perfection.\n"Better Luck Tomorrow" opened at some select small art house theaters in cities like New York and Los Angeles and toured the film fest circuit this past summer, premiering at the Sundance and Toronto film festivals.\n"Better Luck Tomorrow" will be playing at the Whittenberger Auditorium today and Sunday at 8 and 11 p.m.