By Siena Bird, Bates Class of 2026

Alumni engagement is a key aspect of the Bates community and something that brings great value to our festival. Building community is central to the BFF’s mission, and by including alumni work in our programming, we continue to support the careers of Batesies while also maintaining and strengthening connections between Bates students and Bates graduates.

This week, we discussed how to effectively utilize Bates’ strong alumni network when planning the 2026 Film Festival. We met with Justin Fortier in the Office of Alumni Engagement and discussed the possibility of a virtual alumni event. Virtual events come with their limitations, but they also allow for greater flexibility in terms of scheduling and broader alumni participation. In addition to the virtual event, we have explored the idea of having a special program block focused entirely on alumni films. We have screened films that Bates graduates have worked on and considered potential avenues to connect with alumni guests. All of these initiatives would allow the BFF to highlight the creativity, talent, and achievements of Bates graduates and the College’s long history of producing graduates who make socially meaningful and commercially successful movies.

Alumni engagement in the Bates Film Festival will have a meaningful and lasting impact on both graduates and current students. For alumni, participation offers a chance to reconnect and share their work with the Bates community. For current students, it provides an opportunity to connect with professionals in the industry and learn more about potential career trajectories after graduation.

By incorporating alumni programming into the BFF, we are continuing to build a festival that reflects Bates’ creativity and talent—both past and present. Alumni involvement supports and strengthens our mission of promoting conversation and bringing communities together through the arts, all while expanding the network that makes it all possible.