After Bollywood dancing, Michelle Obama hosts workshop on film careers

Days after doing a bit of Bollywood dancing to celebrate Diwali, US First Lady Michelle Obama hosted White House's first ever 'Careers in Film Symposium' for high school students from Washington, New York, and Boston.

"Just a few days ago, we were doing some Bollywood dancing in the State Dining Room," she recalled amidst laughter as she welcomed the students to the symposium in the Blue Room of the White House Friday.

"And today, we wanted to continue this tradition by giving you all the chance to dive into the world of film-making," Obama said.

The symposium was designed to tell students about animation, special effects, make-up, costume, direction, music and sound effects.

Actors and directors, including Whoopi Goldberg, Naomie Harris, Ryan Coogler, David Frankel, Blake Lively, and Gayle King, also told them about how their education helped them succeed.

Obama encouraged the students to continue chasing their dreams in film, but to never forget the importance of education and the ability to overcome adversity.

"Once you find that passion, whether it's film -- maybe it's science or business, maybe it's teaching -- anything, you have got to get your education. That's the bottom line," she said.

Encouraging the students to take advantage of their time with the panel, she said: "Ask a lot of questions. Find out who these folks are, what they did. What made them afraid. What was hard. Get as much information as you can. And then go back and work hard."

(Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in)