By Fatima Salinas 

Kat Trout-Baron, a fourth-year student studying cinema and screenwriting in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, has been part of the Bijou Film Board since their first year at UI.  

Coming all the way from New Jersey, Trout-Baron shared how Bijou's 50-year history, legacy of bringing filmmakers, and connection to an independent theater were the main reasons for coming to Iowa.  

“I was excited at the possibility of programming and being part of a serious cinematic group,” Trout-Baron said.  “I have had the honor of being the executive director of Bijou for the last two years.” 

The Bijou Film Board has built a reputation as one of the preeminent student-run cinemas in the nation. The non-profit, student-run organization was established in 1972. 

Since 2013, the group has partnered with FilmScene to assist with the programming and operation of the downtown Iowa City cinema located on East College Street.  

 “We get to run student film-festivals, assist in major film festivals, invite guests to FilmScene, play titles on film, and build a series of deep connections with our peers,” Trout-Baron said. “I am not from Iowa—never expected to have a place I could call home here. When I'm at FilmScene, the staff know me—I feel like I've made a difference in a community and found a group of people who believe in me.” 

Grace Pignolo, Bijou’s director of outreach, shared how community collaborations strengthen Bijou by sparking conversations and creating community awareness. Pignolo is an English and creative writing major with minors in Italian, international relations, and theatre arts.  

“Last semester, we partnered with the Italian program, Multicultural Business Student Association, and KRUI,” Pignolo said. “This collaboration gave us the opportunity to play international and foreign language films and have discussions that we otherwise wouldn’t have had.” 

Pignolo has had the opportunity to write about films on the Bijou Blog and go on Bijou Banter, a podcast/radio hour on KRUI which discusses what’s coming out every week in theaters.  

“Being on Bijou has exposed me to new kinds of film, given me the chance to interact with guest industry professions, and inspired creative writing projects,” Pignolo said. 

Jeremy Laughery, a graduate student in film studies, shared that the backbone of Bijou relies in the programs it creates for the community. He shared that “After Hours” is a late-night series featuring cult classics, fan favorites, recent releases, and the best in modern genre films. After Hours takes place on Saturdays at 10 p.m. during the semester. 

“After Hours demonstrates not only the personal filmgoing tastes of the folks within the organization but also represents our efforts to bring interesting, challenging, and exciting cinema to Iowa students, completely for free,” Laughery said. “I love programming films, and I love assisting with and attending the screenings. It’s amazing to see how our fellow students have engaged with and enjoyed the films we show.”   

Laughery and Pignolo both emphasized the opportunities that Bijou has granted them both from the skills to lead and create, to organizing events and connect with peers and members of the community. 

“Bijou is an organization that is student-led and student-centered,” Laughery said. “In all our conversations about our programs and the films we show, we are thinking about what students would most like to see, do, or get out of an experience.”