Staff Editorial: Film Festival will benefit students

The annual Philadelphia Film Festival is an important cultural event for this city, and this year Penn students will be treated to an excellent opportunity to experience it right on Penn's campus. The University worked hard to bring a significant number of the festival's 295 screenings to the Bridge: Cinema de Lux and International House, and it deserves our thanks.

Bringing foreign and independent films to Penn's campus will also contribute to the overall culture of University City. It will bring a lot of people to the area who might not have come otherwise, and with the festival attendees comes an influx of business for West Philadelphia shops and restaurants.

The festival will also showcase the Cinema Studies Program here at Penn, as short films by department faculty will be among the festival's selections.

The University's influence was especially important in securing two screens at the Bridge for the festival, which provides an excellent venue for films. It is also a significant accomplishment, because bringing independent films to campus as a complement to Hollywood's latest offerings is a role that many students would like to see the Bridge play.

As Penn students, we should take advantage of the festival. A good turnout would not only justify the University's efforts; it would also send a message to the Bridge that there is a market for films beyond Hollywood blockbusters like Starsky and Hutch -- a genre that had already been available at Cinemagic previous to the Bridge's opening. A strong student showing at the festival could keep independent films at the Bridge beyond the festival's two-week run.

Bringing a significant percent of the festival to Penn's campus and University City sets an excellent precedent. It is a great opportunity for Penn students -- not just film studies majors, but all students interested in the vast number of movies that exist outside of the mainstream.

It is encouraging that the University had a hand in broadening the cultural offerings on and near campus, for such a policy serves the needs of both the student and West Philadelphia communities.

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