Inspired by a love of movies, forged from a need to stay connected, continued as a way to study and expand knowledge of film as a popular art form.

A Raisin in the Sun (1961) Directed by Daniel Petrie

Star Wars (1977) Directed by George Lucas

12 Angry Men (1957) Directed by Sidney Lumet

Quarantine Film Society was conceived by Sharat Raju, a working filmmaker in Los Angeles and graduate of the American Film Institute. As curator of the group, Sharat selects a film and writes a viewing invitation, in essay form, to the members of QFS who watch the film at their leisure and return to discuss it over video conferencing. The group meets approximately once a week. The invitation essay and notes from the group’s discussion are what you are reading on this site.

Soon after graduating from AFI, and inspired by master directors of the past who were also dedicated cinephiles and film critics, Sharat created in-person film study groups with his fellow filmmakers and collaborators. In April 2020 following pandemic mandates across the country and a near total shutdown of movie theaters, he moved the group online and named it “Quarantine Film Society,” expanding the group to include colleagues from other cities as well as a few non-filmmakers who possessed astute knowledge of and interest in art and culture. The QFS group members are an accomplished collection of working filmmakers from creative and production realms - writers, directors, actors, cinematographers, producers, production designers, editors, sound engineers, visual and special effects artists, and composers. All share a common trait - a willingness to watch films from personal and analytical perspectives and communicate those insights in a constructive manner through lively discussion.

The selections range from contemporary to classic, mainstream to obscure, American cinema to international films. Sharat prioritizes movies he personally has not seen or would like to rewatch. He also occasionally consults a handful of guideposts in making selections: The Sight and Sound British Film Institute 100 Greatest Films of All Time list; Martin Scorsese’s various guides including his top picks from the Criterion Collection; a list of films Sharat received twenty years ago containing titles he was supposed to have seen before beginning study at AFI; and a periodic but continuing exploration of cinema from India, the world’s largest maker of movies. QFS selections have come from every continent and every decade from the 1920s to today.