‘Promising Young Woman’ Offers Free Screenings to College Students

‘Promising Young Woman’ directed by Emerald Fennell and starring Carey Mulligan is a well-reviewed film nominated for Best Picture at the 2021 Academy Awards. The film centers around a woman seeking out vengeance years after the suicide of her best friend who was a victim of rape in college. The film makes many important statements about sexual assault and justice.

One important takeaway is that both the bystander and the perpetrator could be anyone. Anyone can be sexually assaulted, as displayed by Cary Mulligan’s character pretending to be highly intoxicated every night. And each night a man who appeared to be decent eventually attempted to assault her. The writers intentionally cast actors who played the beloved character in film and television, including Adam Brody and Max Greenfield, driving home the point that even the proclaimed “nice guys” can be predators.

The writers of ‘Promising Young Woman’ intended to spark conversations about sexual assault with new perspectives and directions. With COVID-19 restrictions on theaters and prices for streaming, it can be difficult to get a large enough audience to achieve the original goals. College students, especially are a target audience that filmmakers hoped to reach. In a partnership with Campus Circle and the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, free virtual screenings were offered to college students followed by a discussion with a number of cast members and the director.

This is a very innovative way to combat the effect of COVID-19 on the film industry - especially on films attempting to foster conversation and change. Free screenings offered many students the opportunity to watch the film and the discussion afterward functioned as a call to action, encouraging students to re-examine their actions and understanding about sexual assault. It likely also sparked word of mouth sharing about the film among those who enjoyed it or learned from it, causing more people to pay to watch the film who may have missed the free screening period.