Playing to a full audience on both Friday and Saturday night, “Georgetown Forever” debuted this weekend in ICC auditorium to mixed reviews.

The movie’s plot, originally conceived over the summer by Drew Rau (COL ’06), pits Georgetown student Nash Rambler against an army consisting of the six schools mentioned in the university fight song as he struggles to keep Georgetown from joining the Ivy League. According to Slade Smith (MSB ’06), the film’s executive producer, approximately 900 students viewed the movie over the weekend.

Nathan Fabian (SFS ’08), who plays Rambler, said that the movie was a success because of its ability to bring the entire Georgetown community together.

“When I sat in the theater Friday night I found myself forgetting it was me up on the screen as I got caught up in the connection to our Georgetown community,” he said. “It was a type of community I have not felt in a long time and will not soon forget.”

Marcel Arsenault (COL ’07), composer and soundtrack director for the film, echoed that the Georgetown community’s involvement was key to the film’s success, pointing to the fact that the movie was produced entirely by Georgetown students with university equipment. The soundtrack featured student and alumni bands, and the orchestral selections were played by Georgetown’s student orchestra. The Gelardin New Media Center primarily served as the editing room for the movie.

“It was cool to have some part of Georgetown that people never see and never really hear,” Arsenault said. “It’s just incredible the talent we have here that goes unnoticed because we don’t have the places to showcase it.”

Some students have voiced different opinions.

Bryan Klein (SFS ’09) said that he thought the plotline and ending were tacky and trite.

“I thought they did a great job of making a mockery of everything here at Georgetown,” he said.

Klein also noted what he called poor quality of filming and editing. “It looked like a student film,” he said.

The film boasted numerous cameos from campus groups, including appearances by the Georgetown University Grilling Society, the Department of Public Safety, GERMS, Groove Theory and Jack the Bulldog.

Dr. Daniel Porterfield, vice president for public affairs and strategic development and a university professor, who briefly appeared in the movie, said he thought the film was brilliantly written, directed and edited.

“It is a remarkable tribute to Georgetown,” he said. “Dr. [Anthony] Arend and I were honored to make a cameo appearance with our human rights class.”

Rau said that university administrators were initially skeptical about the students’ ability to make the film, but eventually gave their tentative support.

“My theory is it sounded so crazy they were afraid to dismiss it,” Rau said.

The actual filming and editing of the movie cost GUSA less than $500, which came from the student association’s $20,000 annual budget, according to Rau. Another $500 dollars for the film came from the pockets of the producers and director.

Rau added that post-production costs for the film, including DVD manufacturing and advertising, came to roughly $3,010, which came from the GUSA Funding Board.

GUSA President Twister Murchison (SFS ’08), a producer of the film, said that projected DVD sales of “Georgetown Forever” would far outweigh the costs, and that demand for copies of the movie has remained high. The first shipment of DVDs sold out Saturday night, bringing in sales of approximately $2,700.

Murchison said a second shipment of DVDs had arrived, and that several businesses, including the Corp, have expressed interest in selling them.

Rau said that he was unsure whether the profits made from the film would go back to GUSA or to the Center of Student Programs. Rau said if the money is returned to GUSA, he expects it to be used for similar projects under GUSA’s Spirit Campaign.