AAU’s Shakespeare Film Festival started on February 26 with a screening of Much Ado About Nothing (1993), with an audience of just two professors.
The event was mentioned on February 24 in the AAU Weekly Bulletin and on the Student Council Instagram on February 22. When comparing these efforts to similar events, like Library Film Nights, the low turnout was unsurprising.
“We don’t do so much culture here [at AAU],” said Gerald Power, AAU Lecturer and Chair of the Department of History and Philosophy. “A lot of really, really good things are happening, but not a lot of just pure culture for the sake of culture.”
Andrew Giarelli, the host of the event, mentioned how there was supposed to be more advertising, like posters, to be printed and distributed by Student Council (StuCo).
The Lennon Wall contacted StuCo who acknowledged that printing materials for StuCo funded events falls under their jurisdiction, however, the AAU Shakespeare Film Festival is not funded by StuCo and Giarelli did not contact any StuCo members privately.
“Wine and Shakespeare do go quite well,” said Power. The cultural series would likely get more attendance if a small budget was allocated for wine, and promotion was more frequent.
The screenings will continue throughout the semester in room 2.07. The screening schedule will be as follows:
March 31, 15:45 – Henry IV Part I (2012)
April 22, 18:30 – Othello (1996)
May 19, 16:15 – The Tempest (2010)
