Take a moment to imagine yourself on a Tuesday night. You are walking around Sunken Garden, the air is warm and you have just finished that long essay for that one class you have been working on all weekend. Unsure about what to do with this newfound time, you check the time on your phone and — can you believe it? It’s 7:30 p.m. and you are right in front of Tucker Hall. Those who consider themselves a part of this group should know that at exactly this time, the W&M Film Society club is hosting its weekly meeting in Tucker Theatre.
W&M Film Society is a club dedicated to finding, watching and discussing all forms of filmed media. The club has a lot to offer to any students interested in learning more about the art of film or just relaxing while enjoying a good movie.
The club’s weekly meetings involve screenings of different films. They vary in release date and genre, and are either chosen by club president Reagan Pyle ’26 or voted upon by club members through a poll. Before the screening, Pyle usually gives fun facts related to the movie. Afterward, members can choose to stay for a little while to discuss the film, such as what they liked or did not like, or even about more technical aspects connected to the art of film.
W&M Film Society Vice President and Social Media Chair Neveah Galluccio ’26 is responsible for providing updates on upcoming meetings through the club’s Instagram and GroupMe and responding to inquiries through direct messages. Galluccio said the club’s GroupMe has 240 members, although not everyone comes to every meeting.
Gallucio explained how attendance varies depending on the film that is being screened and on the time of the semester, averaging between five and fifteen members in addition to exec. Pyle described the club as personal and laid-back, given that members can choose when to show up and how the small numbers in attendance allow for it to be a more private and casual gathering.
“Film Society is honestly very chill,” Pyle said. “We just get together and watch movies, but, I think on a larger scale it’s sort of opened people’s minds about film. It definitely explores film more as an art form, so we try to pick out movies that most people probably haven’t seen or movies that aren’t necessarily mainstream, just to broaden people’s scope on film.”
As a film and media major, Pyle has found benefits within the club that will help her in her future career.
“I think that being on exec has been a huge help for me, just in terms of gaining more experience in leading something like this, learning better organizational skills and stuff like that that are needed to run a club,” Pyle said. “But, in terms of the film side, for me as a film major, I love watching movies, and I think that there’s always something that you can learn from just about anything you watch. Even if it’s a bad one, you’re learning: ‘Oh, so maybe I shouldn’t do that when I make my movies.’”
As club president, Pyle has the reins in terms of what direction she wants the club to follow. She shared some intentions she has for Film Society.
“Because most of the members aren’t actually film majors, they just like movies, I think that for them, I try to just make it a place where they can relax and not really think about all of the work that they have to do. It’s just a good break to take,” Pyle said. “I’m so passionate about film, so, because of that, I want to share my passion with as many people as I can, and I want to open up other people’s eyes to how raw film is.”
Andre Nguyen ’25 is a spring transfer student who joined the club at the beginning of this semester. Before arriving on campus, Nguyen had a few goals he wanted to achieve here at the College of William and Mary. One of them was learning more about film and its art. He described Film Society as having helped him achieve this aim.
“I got into film pretty recently,” Nguyen said. “I didn’t take it very seriously, but once I did, I looked for a bunch of clubs on campus before transferring here that are about film.”
Pyle had a few words for those who are still hesitant about joining the club.
“Generally just all the creativity behind [film] is so huge. I think that a lot of times, film is really undervalued as an art form. We’ll kind of see it as one dimensional, but, there’s so much depth in film, if you are watching the right ones,” Pyle said.
It’s never too late to reach out to W&M Film Society through its social media account to ask more about the club and join. If you need a break from that important assignment, or you really want to learn about what makes a film good, this club has just what you need.
