For Wharton freshman Aneesh Jain, the Philadelphia Film Festival, which kicked off last night, is a "forced good opportunity."
Jain - who is required to attend the festival for a Cinema Studies class - is just the type of viewer festival organizers say they are trying to attract.
Sponsored by the Philadelphia Film Society, the 17th annual festival will feature 260 films, showing at six venues throughout the city from April 3 to 15.
Artistic director Raymond Murray said he hopes to attract a more diverse audience to the festival.
"We have been trying to engage the younger crowd and student population," he said.
Most of the festival's recent growth has been in horror, animated and music genres, all of which have large student fan bases, Murray said.
According to Murray, the festival also provides opportunities for student involvement, including volunteer and internship positions as well as film submissions.
The festival also always screens the winning films from the Greater Philadelphia Student Film Festival, which took place last week.
College sophomore Jessica Ludd, who volunteered as an usher at the film festival last year, said it was a great opportunity to see the movies for free.
Some students also hope more of their peers will attend the festival. College sophomore Melissa Metelits, a Film Studies and Theater Arts double major, said she hopes the nearby locations of two of the theaters will attract students.
The Bridge: Cinema De Lux, located at 40th and Walnut streets, and International House, located at 37th and Chestnut streets, will screen films during the festival.
"Even if you just pick one movie, it would be worth it," Metelits said, adding that the festival is especially important for students in the film studies program because "this is where we could be in 10 years - showing our work in the Philadelphia Film Festival."
The festival features films from 49 countries, which students said was another of its major draws.
After taking an Iranian cinema course, Ludd said she is excited that the festival is showing several Iranian films.
Some students did say the $10-per-film tickets might deter their peers from attending.
"It would be helpful if they gave student discounts and publicized it more," Jain said.
Jury Prizes - determined by film critics and scholars -- will be awarded to the best feature film, documentary, first film, director, American independent film, animation feature and short film.
Audiences can also rank films after each screening and additional prizes will be given out based on audience feedback.
Organizers expect more than 70,000 people to attend the festival this year, Murray said. About 67,000 people attended last year.
