Invitation to a Premiere
When a best friend makes a movie!
Do you remember my good friend, Rocco Fiorentino? I’ve written about him for the Scholastic Kids Press Corps before. Rocco is 13, blind, and an amazing musician and singer.
I certainly wasn’t surprised when he told me that he was going to be in a movie.
Rocco plays Rocco Bateman, a recording engineer in the new hit movie, Standing Ovation, produced by Diane Kirman of Kenilworth Films. It was written and directed by Stewart Raffill.
Rocco invited me to the premiere last week at the Prince Theatre in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I’d covered two premieres before: Harry Potter and recently The Last Airbender in New York. Both were a thrill because I’m a big fan of both franchises. This time, however, it was more personal!
Watching Rocco come down the red carpet was so exciting and cool! I watched him being interviewed by the media and it was fun to see my friend in the position of STAR!
I interviewed Rocco before the premiere by phone. We both thought it was sort of funny that two other people—“interview coaches”—were on the line with us. They were from the public relations company handling publicity for the movie. We’ve talked many times before without “handlers!”
It’s a very unique experience to sit in a theater with all the cast, the writer, director, producers, choreographers, and costume designers. Everyone involved with the show was in the audience for this special first time viewing, even Executive Producer James Brolin.
What’s most unique about it is that every time a new face appeared on screen his or her name was yelled out with whooping and cheering from the cast. The thunderous cheers were heard all around the theater. It was really exciting and cool.
I could sense the bond between everyone in the film. It made me think how awesome it must be to work so hard and be part of a team for such an enormous project like a film. And how it would feel sitting in a theater watching it for the first time with all my friends and fellow actors.
Looking at the faces of the kids, their families and friends who were with them, I understood what Producer Diane Kirman meant when she said, “It’s a thrill beyond words!”
PHOTO: Rocco Fiorentino (center) with two fellow cast members from the movie Standing Ovation, which premiered recently in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo Courtesy Danielle Azzolina)
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