University of Wisconsin-Madison senior Bulat Schamiloglu is slated to share his new short film, a reflection on his college experience, in this weekend’s Wisconsin Film Festival.
The Wisconsin Film Festival is an annual event in Madison that will be in person this year for the first time since 2019. From April 7 to 14, theaters on and off campus will show diverse films to the Madison community as well as spotlight films made in Wisconsin or by Wisconsinites. Tickets are $12 per film or free for students who show up to a screening with their Wiscard.
His short film is titled 'Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday.’ With a 13 minute runtime, the film follows a student over four days and “tries to capture what it can be like to be a student.”
“In movies [about college], we see a lot about partying and all that crazy stuff — especially living in Madison. The bar culture is so big but isn’t for everybody. Some people just go to school,” shared Schamiloglu.
Schamiloglu, an English major on the creative writing track, started writing the screenplay in February of 2021. Then, using equipment rented from College Library, Schamiloglu filmed all over campus in locations including Memorial Library and the Terrace, and he even ventured off campus to the Henry Vilas Zoo.
“[The staff at College Library] were always really nice about everything … They helped out a lot,” Schamiloglu said.
He also cited his involvement on campus with the Wisconsin Union Directorate Film Committee, the student organization that selects the films shown for free in Union South’s Marquee Theatre, as instrumental.
“[You’re] surrounded by kids your age who also love movies. It’s such a cool community because I’m constantly learning about different movies from different people.” He continued, “When you end up making a movie, all that information goes into it.”
The film is inspired by Schamiloglu’s campus experience, especially during the pandemic, during which, “not much happens, so the few things that do happen feel like a lot.”
‘Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday’ will be screened along with other short films made by UW-Madison students as part of “Marquee Madness” on Friday, April 8 at 8:30 p.m. in the Marquee. Schamiloglu will be there to see his work on the big screen and hopes students will enjoy it “whether you’ve experienced loneliness along the way or you find excitement in the little things.”
Jeffrey Brown is a former Arts Editor for the Daily Cardinal. He writes for The Beet occasionally and does some drawing and photography too. He is a senior majoring in Sociology. Do not feed him after midnight.
