Illini Watchers brings movie fans together for analytical discussion

The registered student organization began around 2018, originally named C-U Cinefile, to review various forms of media. The Illini Watchers pride themselves on being a welcoming space for everyone, regardless of how familiar they are with the film scene.

“The club represents the legacy that the University of Illinois has been a place where criticism is formed,” said Jonathan Knipp, senior lecturer of media and cinema studies and faculty sponsor of the club.

Like a book club for movies, each meeting includes discussion mostly surrounding a film that was chosen the week before, also allowing time for members to talk about other random movies, theater screenings, books, music, and games.

“My exec team and I will make the slides with the parts we thought were interesting,” said Nicolas Roacho, junior in media and cinema studies and Illini Watchers president. “But it’s a really laid-back discussion about the film we assigned everyone to watch.”

During the meeting, they take an average of everyone’s rating of the movie and post it on the club’s Letterboxd page, a social network for film fans.

At the end of each meeting, Roacho and other executive members announce a theme for next week, taking movie nominations from members to spin on a wheel. Whichever movie the wheel lands on is the one up for discussion the following week.

A recent theme was Hispanic Heritage Month, where all the suggested movies had a Hispanic writer, director, or lead. These themes are made to introduce members to films they might not have watched before, like international cinema, Roacho said.

Other events the club organizes are group bus rides to a movie theater, movie-themed trivia games, picnics on the Quad, and a yearly Halloween costume contest. They also sometimes collaborate with their sister club, Illini Film and Video, a film and video production organization, of which Roacho is also the president.

As the faculty advisor, Knipp looks for resources to help the club grow, with his most recent project trying to connect the club to the Roger Ebert Center for Film Studies.

His favorite part of being the advisor for the club is the same as being an instructor.

“It’s always about trying to start the conversation but not presiding over it or trying to influence it,” Knipp said. “Getting it kick-started so I can sit back and just let the students let their thoughts go wild.”

Knipp and Roacho emphasized the importance of appreciating media through their club.

“I like knowing that we are providing that community because it’s important to keep this sort of culture alive,” Roacho said.

With a membership count of just over 100, the group is diverse in majors, something both Knipp and Roacho say makes the Illini Watchers unique.

“The club is everything I wished for,” Roacho said. “There wasn’t a pool of people to talk about movies with at my high school; the people in Watchers are understanding of what I’m saying, even if they’re not too familiar with film.”