Movie Nights!

While Covid-19 caused limitations and road blocks for having events on campus, international clubs and student organizations persevered to create ways for students from different backgrounds to connect on campus. To me, it felt like there might have even been more events this past year than any other year before because of how Zoom allowed students to build relationships virtually. Movie nights, over Zoom and in person, were one of the most common events that I saw put on by different international organizations.

On October 22, Baccano, an Italian club on campus, organized a Netflix watch party through the app Teleparty for the movie “The Ruthless.” Released in 2019 completely in Italian, the Netflix original movie is a fictional story about the mafia in the 1980s. Not only was this a fun way for members of the Italian club to connect safely with other members, it also allowed them to practice listening and learning Italian.

That same week, on October 21st, the Asian American Student Association put on a movie night in the courtyard at the Oklahoma Memorial Union. Masks were required while AASA presented the movie “The Farewell.” This movie was released both in English and Mandarin, and it takes place in China. Just like Baccano’s movie night, this was a safe event that allowed students from different backgrounds to connect.

With Covid-19 safe precautions, movie nights put on by different clubs allowed us to connect with people from different cultures. You don’t have to be Italian to be part of the OU Italian club, and the same goes for AASA. Everyone was welcome to attend these movie nights where we get to learn about other people, their backgrounds, and their languages.