How did student night start?

Film Streams’ Board wanted to reach younger audiences and felt that removing the cost barrier would be the best way to bring students to the kind of films we show. The Peter Kiewit Foundation stepped up with a grant to make it happen.

How long has Film Streams been hosting student nights?

We started in January of 2009 and have had one a month since then. October will be our 82nd Student Night!

What’s different about student night than any other night at Film Streams?

Student Night is always a fun night at the theater! A free movie is hard to beat, but we sweeten the deal from time to time with giveaways of student memberships or movie swag!

Why should people come to student night?

The obvious answer: who doesn’t love free movies?! The less obvious answer: As students encounter an increasingly media-rich world, it is important that they develop analytical skills enabling them to better understand and evaluate the media they encounter daily. Students who acquire these skills are empowered to become active rather than passive viewers, with a greater awareness of media misrepresentation and manipulation.

Commercial theaters choose the films they exhibit with the bottom line in mind while our intention is to serve the entire community and to that end, our programming is deliberately diverse. Since Film Streams is a nonprofit whose mission is the presentation and discussion of film as an art form, we begin the programming process with the highest artistic ideals for the community in mind. For over seven years, we have offered film programming typically only found in [larger] cities that you can’t see at the big chain theaters.

We offer extraordinary new films, including movies from all over the world (so far films from over 65 countries have graced our screens!), and our repertory program has featured classics from almost every year of the past century. Our programming has deliberately featured voices underrepresented and under-exposed in American cinema. Needless to say, there is always something interesting and fun gracing our two screens!

Has student night been a success so far?

Yes, indeed! Since we started in 2009, more than 8,800 students have attended Student Night. 2014 was our second most successful year for Student Night with a total of 1,741 students attending from over 90 schools, taking advantage of the opportunity to attend our programs for free.

How often is free student night?

Student Nights are the first Monday of every month and free to full-time students with student ID (if applicable), any grade and any age.