The graduation ceremony took place at the Les 7 Parnassiens cinema in Paris, which sold out for the occasion. The audience was not there to see a recently released film, but to attend the screening of the films made by the students of the "DBIMA" Master's Degree. This is a great achievement for these young people, who five years ago were the first students of the Academy and who today are the first graduates of the European Master's Degree in Cinema and Audiovisual.
Funny, moving, poetic... The students' films each offered their own vision of things and proposed a wide variety of stories and settings. "The Holy Family", for example, followed a family of bank robbers. “Say no!” told the story of a teenage victim of war, while "Le visage sous le visage" tells of a beggar who takes care of his sick wife. "I entered this cinema to see films and came out enriched as a human being," said Fr Daniel Federspiel, Superior of the France-Belgium South Province (FRB).
"There are undoubtedly many film schools in the world, but what the ‘DBIMA‘ wants is to give people the opportunity to change the world" the Provicial continued. "Thank you very much, because you are the first generation of ‘masters’ of the school, which means that you will pass on your knowledge so that other generations are formed", he said.
Founded by the Salesians, the school welcomes all students, with the aim of making these studies, often reserved for an elite, accessible to as many people as possible, and to train talented filmmakers and managers who want to dedicate their talent to the common good.
The Director of the "DBIMA", Fr John-Paul Swaminathan, told how the determination of these students has now been crowned with great success. “Five years ago, the Academy had five students. Today there are 50 and they come from 14 different countries "
Louis Millet, representing the director of Les 7 Parnassiens, Nicolas Baisez, congratulated the new graduates and offered words of encouragement. "Never lose sight of the importance of your path," he said. "Whether you are behind a camera, an assembly table or in front of a blank page, what you bring to the table is your greatest strength. 'DBIMA’ gives you a huge advantage with this high-level training. But this opportunity is also a responsibility: to tell stories with respect, ethics and aesthetic sense. You are the artists of tomorrow and we can't wait to see what you have to offer.”
