JACKSON HEIGHTS — The auditorium at P.S 69 is far from Hollywood, but that didn't matter to the fifth grade students enjoying the premiere of their films.
The students walked down the "red" carpet Thursday morning to cheers from fellow classmates, sat and enjoyed the five movies they worked on together as part of the Queens World Film Festival's Young Filmmakers program.
The student filmmakers make their grand entrance at today's premiere @QueensWorldFilm pic.twitter.com/UcDGl5XOIA
— katie honan (@katie_honan) March 17, 2016
The program began in 2007 by Katha and Don Cato, organizers of the borough's film festival who live in Jackson Heights.
The program matches mentors with groups of students who are involved in every part of the film, from script writing to shooting, and even editing.
And now, with a donation from Investors Bank, mentors will return in May to start prep work even earlier with fourth graders who will make films next year.
It's all a big help to the program, which the Catos have paid for mostly out of their own pockets. It's also huge for the students, who cheered once the announcement was made.
Thanks to a donation from Investors Bank, the Young Filmmakers program will start early to let fourth graders prep for next year. (DNAinfo/Katie Honan)
"The children have been watching [other students'] films for years, so they've been waiting," Katha Cato said before the world premiere.
Like all movies, the films began with an idea. Fifth grade students were given writing assignments in September to talk about something that defined them as a character — whether it was an experience or an "a-ha" moment.
From there, teachers compiled the essays into various themes, collaborating with students to work on scripts, Cato said.
Then they begin pre-production, working for 10 weeks with mentors from the QWFF to polish the script, assemble the crew and assign roles.
They train on everything — from shooting to the boom mic.
"They love the boom, they love the slate," Cato said.
While some of the movies drew laughs, the subject matter for most were serious. And there was a life lesson throughout.
Students at P.S. 69 enjoy a screening of five films made by a fifth grade class, participants in the Young Filmmakers program with the Queens Film Festival, on March 17, 2016. (DNAinfo/Katie Honan)
In "Kate's Miserable Week," a student has to deal with failing a test, tripping on 37th Avenue in front of her school and her parents divorce.
"Life Behind Shadows" tells the story of a bullied girl who retreats to her diary for comfort, begging the universe, "Where can I find my courage?"
"Lost & Found" focuses on a girl who moves with her family from San Francisco, and is forced to adjust to her new, strange world in New York City.
She soon learns, from another student that went through the same thing, that "Queens is a pretty cool place, too."
The movies empower students from the start, as their own stories are the focus, Cato said.
"Students have a voice for the issues that concern them," she said.
Patti Lowenhaupt, a volunteer with the festival, began working as a film mentor four years ago.
"It's an incredibly program for kids in school," she said, adding that it gives them confidence and pride in their work.
Sharmi Dhar, 10, said she always "acts funny" at home but her role as the divorcing mom in "Kate's Miserable Week" was her first gig on camera.
"It was really fun," she said. "I never thought that I could act. It was awesome."
Her beaming parents were there for the premiere, congratulating her on a job well done.
"I'm very excited for my daughter," dad Swapen Dhar said. "It makes me feel so good."
