Magic Lantern Films at UC Santa Barbara screens a wide variety of acclaimed films to students for free. The organization has shown an array of films ranging in popularity over the past 50 years to moviegoers in Isla Vista.
Magic Lantern gets its name from the old Magic Lantern Theater, which screened classic, foreign and independent films in the 1970s. Courtesy of Britta Gustafson.
Magic Lantern screenings are open to the public, which, according to third-year math major and screening assistant Chloe Sharp, brings in families and members from the surrounding community. The screenings are usually held in either the I.V. Theater or the Theater and Dance West building every Monday and Thursday during the school year.
Magic Lantern gets its name from the old Magic Lantern Theater, now known as the Isla Vista Theater, which screened a variety of classic, foreign and independent films in the 1960s.
It began as an independent operation, but due to a lack of engagement and loss of funds, the program became a part of I.V. Arts, which is now based in the Interdisciplinary Humanities Center. They aim to “catalyze social change” in the I.V. area by regularly promoting and presenting art programming to the community.
In order to screen films, the organization must secure film rights from distributors and production companies. Production companies like The Criterion Collection, Swank Motion Pictures and NEON Rated are rental and licensing movie companies that provide films to Magic Lantern.
“What I really enjoy about the screenings here is that people react. There’s a lot of laughter and little reactions,” Sharp said. “It just feels like a community, and it’s really fun.”
Sofia Todd, a third-year film and media studies and communication double major who attended a screening of “Hamnet,” commented on the practicality of the screenings. She tries to make most of the films and appreciates that they offer an alternative to commercial movie theaters, which are more expensive and far from campus.
“I have a car now, but freshman year was really nice because it was hard to get to the theater. But here it’s so easy,” Todd said.
The screenings give students the chance to go see films on the big screen well after their theatrical releases, which Todd says is “always a better experience” compared to home streaming.
Bryn Merrill, a third-year film and media studies major and student assistant at I.V. Arts, noted that going to movie theaters is costly and that the increased use of streaming services “disrupts the media.”
“Magic Lantern helps to facilitate the core ideology of what movies are supposed to be about, which is going in person, being in a community and contributing to a cause that is dedicated to showcasing great films,” Merrill said.
Magic Lantern’s screenings are not just newly released Hollywood films. The organization also shows international films that would otherwise not be shown in theaters, such as the Iranian film “It Was Just an Accident,” which was screened in Persian.
“[The event] gives students a free and great opportunity to hang out with others, and see different movies they wouldn’t normally see in theater,” Sharp said. “We always try to show diversity in films.”
During the summer, Magic Lantern hosts screenings in parks around I.V.
“It’s usually families bringing their kids and loved ones. It’s great to offer such a wonderful resource to not just the students of I.V. but also the families who live here,” Merrill said.
A version of this article appeared on p. 6 of the March 5, edition of the Daily Nexus.
