On November 2, Student Life and Leadership is planning to show “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2” at the Taylorsville Redwood Campus in the Student Event Center from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. On November 3, students at the Jordan Campus will be able to see the film in the Pavilion from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The film will be shown on a loop as many times as possible during the scheduled hours.
These are two of the many free film screenings that students at Salt Lake Community College have an opportunity to view. Other screenings can be found in “The Globe” and at utahfilmcenter.org.
Over the course of the semester, readers of “The Globe” have had the opportunity to score tickets to “Cowboys and Aliens,” “Puss in Boots,” “Moneyball,” “The Three Musketeers” and several other films. There are usually two or three advertisements for free film screenings that are shown before the film is released to the general public.
These screenings do require a little bit of work to see. Vouchers need to be obtained by either picking them up from “The Globe’s” office on the Taylorsville Redwood Campus or by registering with gofobo.com and printing the voucher from the website. Directions on which method to use are stated in the ad.
Vouchers do not guarantee entrance to the film. To get an actual ticket, the person interested in seeing the film must show up at the theater and wait in line. Tickets are generally dispersed at 4:00 p.m. for evening shows, which means that someone who wants a ticket should get in line as early as 3:00 p.m. even though the theater asks that guests not line up before 3:30 p.m.
Films do get sold out rather quickly, so it is a good idea to be there early. Bring a book to pass the time or talk to the others that are waiting. After the tickets have been picked up, the guests are welcome to leave theater complex and return before the film starts.
For some of the previewed films, cell phones and other recording devices are not allowed in the theater. They are taken from the audience and held until the movie is over. Other films require only that the device be turned off; anyone caught with a device on during the film will be escorted out of the theater.
The Utah Film Center shows movies for free during the week, as well. For these films, there are no hoops to jump through. All that is required is that those wishing to see the film show up. Oftentimes there is a panel discussion afterwards or the director may be in-house to talk about the film.
The Utah Film Center shows films that inspire thinking like “The Tillman Story,” the Harry Belafonte biography “Sing Your Song” and several Cannes Film Festival selections. They also have theme shows like Science Night on the second Wednesday of the month, where they have screened “The Last Mimzy” among other selections.
Future films include “Journey of the Universe” on October 27 and “Temple Grandin” starring Claire Danes on November 1 at the Salt Lake City Public Library downtown at 7:00 p.m. Temple Grandin, on whose life the film is based, will be present at the November 1 showing.