The Varsity Theatre lays out the red carpet for student-run Swain Lot Film Festival

From the parking lot to the movie theater, the Swain Lot Film Festival has been showcasing student films for over 15 years. The student-run film festival will screen at the Varsity Theatre on Saturday, April 21, welcoming the UNC community to enjoy food, friends and film.

The Swain Lot Film Festival is completely organized and run by students. 

“Every single year it gets done by students,” senior representative Hollie Rutledge said. “No one urges us to do it. We have a fresh take on how the communications department is going, so we know where to push Swain Lot.”

The festival has grown throughout the years. What started as a projector in Swain parking lot surrounded by lawn chairs has grown into a theater spectacle enjoyed by students across campus. 

Swain Lot found its roots in UNC’s Department of Communication. The festival was born out of students’ desire for a space to showcase their work and share film experiences with their peers. This year, however, the festival is expanding its reach by encouraging students outside the communications department to submit their work. 

“It’s encouraging for someone who is not a COMM major but wants to make films, or someone who is younger,” UNC senior and filmmaker Justin O’Brien said. “It’s nice to see that there are younger people in the mix getting involved and getting to submit their pieces of creative work and get that recognized.” 

Rutledge and junior representative Nicholas Bafia will be joined by three professors to choose which films will be screened on Saturday. The number of submissions has doubled since opening the opportunity to a broader range of students, Rutledge said.

This year’s submissions are diverse in terms of the students submitting, as well as the genres. 

“We have a horror film, some dramas, some comedies – it’s all over the board,” Bafia said. 

Students dedicate months of work to these films. Being a student filmmaker has its challenges and much of their work is garnered toward getting their films on the big screen at festivals like Swain Lot. 

“As a student you normally never have a budget,” Rutledge said. “Getting people to help out without having all the resources is the hardest part. As a student you have classes, you have jobs and you’re also trying to make a movie.”

Yet despite the obstacle of dwindling college budgets and busy agendas, UNC is crawling with student filmmakers who are eager to share their work, their experiences and their stories with the community. 

“You don’t have to be involved in film to go to this,” Rutledge said. “You can enter this community of film nerds and it’s just such a great atmosphere.”

The festival is from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and there is no cost to attend the event.

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