UNK students gathered at the World Theatre Wednesday for free horror movies, hosted by the UNK Film Club and Peer Health.
The Oksoberfest event not only promoted safe activities, but it also served as an exposure opportunity for the two groups.
“I think it’s really cool as an opportunity to partner with Peer Health for Oksoberfest,” said Ryan Range, the UNK Film Club president. “Providing students with opportunities to do something besides drinking is really cool. Film club’s goal is to watch movies and talk about movies, and that’s something we get to do tonight thanks to generous grants from UNK organizations.”
Oksoberfest featured the 2020 thriller “The Invisible Man” and the 2004 horror comedy “Shaun of the Dead.” There was a shuttle to transport students from UNK, and those in attendance received free admission, popcorn and pop upon arriving. They could also register to win prizes like Apple AirPods.
The UNK Film Club is a relatively new organization, and the members have hosted free monthly screenings open to the public throughout this semester. The club has achieved initial success with over 30 students on its mailing list with about 10-15 in regular attendance and discussion. Many community members have also taken advantage of the opportunity for free movies.
The Film Club has used the screenings as a way to show movies that audiences might not often get to see on the big screen.
“The club goal is to show films with historical and cultural significance to the UNK community,” said Jacob Rosdail, the Film Club’s co-adviser.
“This is actually a really, really big event for the film club,” Range said. “We’re really new, so to already be approached by other organizations wanting to do big events like this for the student body is awesome.”
UNK’s Peer Health organization has been known to host movie nights in the past, and when they learned about the Film Club’s established monthly screenings at the World Theatre, they reached out to coordinate a joint event.
Oktoberfest attracted nearly 50 students, and the event provided a fun way to celebrate Halloween..
“I feel like there’s a huge stigma in college that the only way to have fun is to drink, so it’s really cool that we get to provide these opportunities for alternatives to risky behaviors,” said Ashley Roemmich, a certified peer health educator.
Roemmich gave an introduction to the Peer Health organization before each movie. Peer Health also promotes their purpose through their blog at unkthewell.org.
