Students can go see back-to-back movies on Dec. 11 to get a break from studying. The doors will open at 11:30 am and the marathon will start at noon. The event is free to everyone, and tickets are not required to attend.
IU Cinema managing director Brittany Friesner said this was the first time they have put on this type of movie marathon, but they have done several marathons in the past. She said the hope is for the Study Break Mega Marathon to become a finals week staple every semester at IU Cinema.
“I realized it’d been a while since we put one on so I got to thinking about what might be most engaging for students and how could we use film to make one of the roughest parts of any semester at least a little bit enjoyable for everyone,” Friesner said.
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Friesner said the list of movies started with 71 films. The staff researched the availability of films that had been digitized so they could secure screening rights and materials. Once there was a list of films that would work, the list was sent to staff to vote for their top choices. Finally, they programmed as many of the top vote-getting films that could fit in a 12-hour period.
“We are technically going to go a little over 12 hours simply because we wanted to fit in more films,” Friesner said. “Many of these films might not show at IU Cinema otherwise, so this will be a rare opportunity to see some of these classic movies on the big screen.”
House manager Julia Jeffries said she was excited to see how the event goes because this is the first time the cinema has done this since she has been a student at IU.
“This is a casual and fun opportunity to visit the cinema, so we're hoping that students take advantage of it,” Jeffries said. “We've lifted our no-snack policy, and we're not doing ticketing, so it should truly be a relaxing event.”
IU Cinema director Alicia Kozma said the cinema has already built another study break mega marathon into the schedule for the spring semester.
“We all know how stressful finals can be and taking some time to give yourself a rest is just as important as studying," Kozma said. “No one wants to take a final exam with a tired brain and body, it’s a recipe for disaster.”
Kozma said the cinema staff suggested movies that fit the theme of “the last day of school.” Kozma said she and Brittany Friesner narrowed down to 10 films because they wanted to eliminate films that the Cinema had already shown and then the staff voted on the remaining titles.
“While we designed this event for students, it is open and free for everyone,” Kozma said. “Whether you want to take a break from studying, celebrate finishing, avoid your errands and weekend chores or just spend a chilly winter day with hours and hours of free movies, everyone is invited and welcome.”
The list of films and their approximate start times are:
12pm School Daze (1988)
2:10pm Better Luck Tomorrow (2002)
3:55pm Blockers (2018)
5:45pm Summer School (1987)
7:30pm The Faculty (1998)
9:20pm Rushmore (1998)
11pm The Craft (1996)
More information about the films is on the IU Cinema website.
