May the Force be with you on Dead Day. The Learning Studio will host a Star Wars film fest beginning at 10 a.m. on Monday.
Five Star Wars films will be shown: Episode 4: A New Hope, Episode 5: The Empire Strikes Back, Episode 6: Return of the Jedi, Episode 7: The Force Awakens and Rouge One: A Star Wars Story. In between the films, the Learning Studio will also show student-produced short films previously shown in Film Fest.
The event will be come-and-go, snacks will be provided, and prizes will be handed out throughout the event.
Dr. Kyle Dickson, Learning Studio director, said the event allows students and staff to take a “breather” during the hectic finals week.
“A couple years ago we had our first Star Wars promotion with Episode Xmas [Star Wars Holiday Special] and had great student and faculty response,” Dickson said. “This is also the first year the Learning Studio has collaborated more directly with Film Fest so we wanted the campus to see some of the best student films alongside some of the stories and filmmakers that inspired them.”
Kassandra Kim, a senior multimedia major from San Antonio, said the Learning Studio hopes the event inspires students to create their own films and show pride in them.
“We have hosted a few marathons in the past pertaining to Film Fest so students can see past submissions,” Kim said. “Having movie marathons, no matter if it’s short films or feature length films, gives students a chance to be inspired and create their own stories. We want to give students a chance to find that inspiration and create something that they’ll be proud of.”
Brittney Johnson, a communications graduate student from Universal City, said she loves to attend the events that the Learning Studio puts on during the semesters.
“As a graduate student, these study breaks and other programs the Learning Studio do throughout the year have by far been some of my favorite experiences on campus,” Johnson said. “They are fun, bring people together and create new bonds over creativity.”