February Was Fun and Now March Has Begun
What a month February 2021 was!
Prospects orchestrated our first ever Prospector International Film Festival right here in Ridgefield, CT! We had submissions from over 130 countries and screened 59 films over four days, both in-person and virtually. Thanks to the Film Festival and the hard work from Prospects, we were able to have our sparkle shine on screens in the UK, France, and even Korea. We had the opportunity to interview incredible film directors, producers, writers, and actors. Watch some of our interviews below:
Prospect David giving the camera a thumbs up at our film festival!
Prospects stand in front of our backdrop holding trophy props and giving the camera a thumbs up.
Prospects used their respective sparkle to curate this fantastic film forum. Prospect Jeremy was one of our esteemed judges and participated in many meaningful discussions about each movie that was screened. Prospect Ali used her organizational powers to help Prospect Jeff with the backend work. And the Prospect Productions team, led by Ian, was behind the lens, capturing beautiful and exciting moments over the four days.
We also delivered our Valentine’s Day Sparkle Boxes in February - filled with Valentine’s Day goodies, movie recommendations, cards from Prospects, and our popular Cupid’s Mix Gourmet Popcorn. Our next Sparkle Box is already in the works for April!
All the products included in the February Sparkle Box.
Prospect Cubby and his mom smile for the camera while holding Sparkle Box items.
Prospect Seth shows off his heart pixel art on our theater window.
February also brought us further along in an extraordinary art project that Prospects have been working since December! We are excited to put all the pieces together in the upcoming months to have a beautiful new art installation in our Theater!
Prospects working from home smile for a photo on Google Meets. Valerie even joined in for the fun!
Prospect Ren holds up a box of pink buttons that Prospects recently sorted for an art project.
Prospects working virtually were dazzled by incredible guest speakers in our Sparkle Power Hour professional development series. We were honored to host Emily Kingsley - an Emmy Award winning writer from Sesame Street and advocate for people with disabilities. Her son, Jason, was born with Down syndrome, inspiring her to include people with disabilities in the show. Emily Kingsley has also been a real inspiration for Prospects. Her poem, “Welcome to Holland”, is often referenced in our mission, model, and service learning program. Check out this Prospect Productions video to see how Emily's words energize our meaningful work:
With classrooms going virtual, our Service Learning team needed to adapt our programming for this new digital world. We've developed new ways to screen share our sparkle, engaging and educating students from pre-K to PhD! Our Virtual Service Learning programs have been incredibly well received by hundreds of local educators and students across the country - from Ridgefield Public Schools to Clemson University. In February we spoke to over 300 students! If you’d like to learn more, reach out to Kathleen.Eubanks@ProspectorTheater.org or go to our Service Learning page!
We also felt the comeback of first-run movies this month! Land, Nomadland, Our Friend, The Little Things, and a crowd favorite, Tom and Jerry. Prospects were overjoyed to sell out (40% capacity) opening weekend screenings of Tom and Jerry.
Upcoming in March, we are excited to celebrate International Women’s Day, World Down Syndrome Day, Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, and Women’s History Month! Studios are also releasing awesome new films like Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon, The Father starring Anthony Hopkins, and The Courier starring Benedict Cumberbatch. Keep an eye on our Box Office!
Sparkle On!
Have fun with us on all of our platforms!