Cinema Series has its roots in film societies of the 1960s, '70s
By Lia Barnes | Staff writer
Professor Matthew Buzzell hosts AU’s Cinema Series, in which he shows thought-provoking, classic and forgotten movies from around the world at the Maxwell Performing Arts Theatre.
Buzzell said the Cinema Series really started in the 1960s and 1970s.
“It wasn’t uncommon for there to be what would be referred to as cinema societies, where groups of people would get together and watch classic films or international films because they weren’t available to see readily,” Buzell said.
These cinema societies would be in public libraries and universities to facilitate a stronger bond between communities.
Some of the movie selections for the AU Cinema Series are collaborations between Buzzell and students in the Cinema Series Club. Students have the most influence on choosing a film for Halloween. Last year’s Halloween double feature of “Sinners” and “Blade” was Buzzell’s idea that he introduced to students who signed off on the idea.
If a film selection is not directly influenced by students, Buzzell said, it is definitely inspired by the interests and turn-out rate of students, so everyone is encouraged to take advantage of the free movie service on campus.
“The mission to showcase the very best in classic, cult, animation, documentary, independent and international cinema,” said Buzzell.
Although this may have been the goal of other university cinema series, it does not seem to be upheld by the same standard in today’s time with popular films being more readily available. However, this makes AU’s Cinema Series unique. The first film that is showing this semester was “Watership Down,” a 1970s British animation film that looks into the life and struggles of rabbits. It can be difficult to find this film in the streaming word or on cable, so being able to show it on a screen was a privilege for both the viewers and Buzzell.
Recently, Buzzell has added a way to enhance the experience of the Cinema Series—that is, with a DJ social hour. Movie watching is a big community experience that has been lost and forgotten, and it has been a personal mission of Buzzell to bring that back.
Before he began his career in academia, Buzzell worked in the movie industry in Hollywood. During his time in Los Angeles, Buzzell noticed that before and after a movie showing, people would have live music in a social hour to help the viewers connect with people and talk about the film, so Buzzell brought that aesthetic back to Augusta for the student body.
The DJs that play come from a group called Secret Record Night, one of whom is Matthew Porter, the director of the Westobou Art Gallery.
There will be four more movie showings this semester with the next showcase being the Oscar Nominated short films of 2026 on Saturday, Feb. 28. The event starts at 3 p.m. in the Maxwell. Admission is free.
March will be a month of celebrating the life and work of Japanese director Akira Kurosawa, showing one of his most celebrated films and his last film. During that month, there will also be a sale of new Cinema Series Kurosawa themed T-shirts and tote bags designed by AU graphic design students to help support this year’s Art and Film Study Abroad program to Japan.
For April, Buzzell said “that’s going to be a pop culture classic,” but there is no official decision, so he is asking students for ideas. For information of release dates for the films, follow the Cinema Series Instagram Page at:
@cinemaseriesaug.
Contact Lia Barnes at liabarnes@augusta.edu.
At right, film professor Matthew Buzzell, who runs AU’s Cinema Series, introduces famed director Whit Stillman (“Barcelona,” “Metropolitan”) during the Writers’ Weekend in 2019. (Bell Ringer file photo)
