On May 13th, excitement filled the air at Cabrini Immigrant Services-Dobbs Ferry (CIS-DF) as students in the Making Movies! Sharing Stories! Program prepared for their much-anticipated “Movie Premiere.” Throughout the year, our young filmmakers wrote stories, illustrated them, and then filmed their movies. In addition to producing and editing the films, the students also added sound effects. This year, the students designed their own logo for their ‘movie production company.’
Under the guidance of their teacher, Anne Marie Santoro, the students proudly presented two of their movies to an audience of classmates, parents, grandparents and siblings. Before each movie, the students welcomed everyone, thanked them for attending the premiere and then introduced their film. Following the presentation, the students fielded questions from the audience. The parents and grandparents were beaming with pride.
At the conclusion of the program, Ms. Santoro presented each student with a certificate in recognition of their achievements. The students were eager to display their certificates at home. In gratitude for all that Ms. Santoro has done throughout the year, the students presented her with a beautiful bouquet of flowers along with heartfelt words of thanks for her dedication and encouragement throughout the year.
The students had a wonderful time enjoying some refreshments following their premiere. Although relieved that they had done a superb job, the excitement lingered. The students are already looking ahead to a special three-week summer program being held in July.