The Nolan Film Club is a student-run, faculty-advised organization that stands as the premier movie-viewing club at The University of Alabama.
Established in spring 2023 with the support of Honors College funding, the club consists of a group of students and faculty who meet weekly to watch and discuss a wide range of critically acclaimed films.
Whether it be mind-bending, existential pictures like “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” or coming-of-age stories like “Aftersun,” the club has something to offer for any student interested in the art of cinema.
Alan Lazer and Tyler Sasser, two assistant professors in the Honor College Department, serve as the faculty advisors for the club.
“Our main goal is to grow the understanding of movies, and also to have a nice film community on campus where anyone who has a passion for film can talk and discuss their favorite movies without judgment,” said Cayla Shipman, the president of the club and a sophomore majoring in computer engineering.
Named after the late William Nolan, a beloved 39-year-old UA Honors film professor who died in 2012, the club seeks to uphold Nolan’s values.
“I took a class from him [Nolan] my senior year and remember he was a very warm guy,” Lazer said. “If people couldn’t find a way to watch any of the movies assigned, he would always burn DVDs and leave them in his office or mailbox for people to borrow.”
Both Lazer and Sasser are experienced and knowledgeable when it comes to film criticism, as several of the courses that they offer, much like the club, involve watching, analyzing and discussing movies.
Lazer teaches “Stanley Kubrick and Human Nature” and “Filmmakers and Their Philosophies”, while Sasser teaches “Fear and the American Consciousness”, a course that employs horror movies to ask the question “What are Americans afraid of?”
In the spirit of Halloween, the club plans to watch horror films, specifically Sam Raimi’s iconic 1981 picture “The Evil Dead” on Oct. 29.
Suggestions for movies are taken from student officers, faculty advisors and club members, and are ultimately decided by student leadership. However, the last movie of the semester is decided by way of a vote that is left open to everyone.
“When members are saying, ‘let’s watch this,’ and it’s getting kind of tossed around, then it makes its way up,” Sasser said. “Over the summer, ‘La La Land’ was talked about a lot, so we made sure to get that in there.”
Lazer and Sasser said there are currently 132 members in the club’s GroupMe, with an average in-person turnout of 35 viewers per biweekly meeting.
Sasser also said that the group does more than watch movies on Tuesdays, as earlier this month over 15 students attended the Sidewalk Film Festival in Birmingham.
“If you’re looking for an informal, energetic and enthusiastic group of students with this common interest … then this is a good opportunity for those things,” Sasser said of the club.
Lazer expressed this same sentiment when discussing the diverse range of students present at each viewing experience.
“A lot of people who are there don’t have a strict background in film. They’re just people who like movies and want to have a place to watch more and talk about them,” Lazer said.
On top of showing the movie, the club accommodates its members with drinks and snacks and even a popcorn machine to foster the traditional moviegoing experience.
Those interested in participating in the club can learn more on its Instagram or drop in on the Oct. 1 meeting to watch “Aftersun.”
“You get to exchange ideas, opinions and everything like that with those who are all from different backgrounds,” Lazer said.
Contributing writer John Weinstein contributed to the reporting of the story.
Editor’s Note: This article was updated to include the club advisors.
