Movie Premire – The Princess & the Thief

Ben Affleck, George Clooney, and Tyler Perry aren’t the only triple threats writing, directing, and starring in their own movies these days.  Just last month, we held an exclusive movie premiere for a very special film right here in Independence, MO.

The students in Marian Hope Center’s Improving Life and Social Skills class met weekly for two months to create an original movie from start to finish.  Working together under the guidance of a speech-language pathologist, they wrote the movie, gathered props, created the scenery, put together costumes, acted in the movie, and edited the film.  The five students, ranging in ages from 8-13 years, learned important skills for working with peers, memorization, displaying emotions, narration, speaking clearly, responding to social cues, and forming friendships.  The students were challenged to step out of their comfort zone to take on new tasks and roles.

The students even worked together to  plan and host an official premiere  to show off their hard work.  No details were forgotten – students served healthy versions of traditional movie foods – organic popcorn, casein- and gluten-free pizzas, and fruit smoothies.  The premiere concluded with an awards ceremony and each child received a copy of the film.

We are so proud of the hard work these students put into this project.  Please enjoy their original short film below, The Princess and the Thief.

http://youtu.be/rK0gJ6vDcTg

(A special thanks to our OT grad student, Kat, for help with the technological aspects of editing.  We couldn’t have done it without you!)