Students in SBCC Faculty Memer Curtis Bieber’s Film and Television Production course, “Directing for the Camera,” heard from a very special guest speaker earlier this semester.  

Benjamin Golabre, a former fellow student and SBCC graduate who once sat in class where they did, is currently experiencing the success they all dream of one day.  He returned to campus to share his story and experiences.

Golabre has the distinction of being the first graduate of the department to begin production on his first full-length feature, She Dreams of Fireflies. 

The film was written by Golabre’s associate, Monique Rosario, and the scheduled cast currently includes Mary Wilson (formerly of the Supremes), Dominique Swain, Jonathan Lipniki, Ryan Slater, Wolfgang Bodison and Karron Graves.  

Filming will begin in upstate New York in the spring with a production delivery date for fall of 2016.

First honors are not new to Golabre as he, along with fellow SBCC student Gabriella Gullen, attended the prestigious Cannes Film Festival in 2013 to present their 10-minute student film “Paradise Café” at the festival’s Short Film Corner.  

While at Cannes in 2014, he was able to network and connect with a producer for funding Fireflies.

Golabre, who has reached this level of accomplishment solely with his two-year associate’s degree from SBCC, is obviously a talented director, said his instructor Bieber, while the alumnus stressed stressed hard work, networking and good luck as other factors in his rising success.

— Joan Galvin is the public information officer for SBCC.