Bringing Students Together Through Movies: My Second American Movie Night

Recently, I held my second American Movie Night at school, and this time we watched the Super Mario Bros. Movie in English with Japanese subtitles. Going into the event, I honestly wasn’t sure how many students would come. My first movie night had been small, so I expected something similar, but I was very pleasantly surprised.

In total, nine students showed up, which was far more than I expected and a noticeable increase from the first event. Seeing more students interested in participating made me really happy, especially because one of my goals as an ALT is to create opportunities for students to enjoy English in a relaxed and fun environment outside of the classroom.

To make the event feel more like a real movie night, we had popcorn, candy, and soda for everyone to enjoy while watching the film. As soon as the movie started, the room quickly filled with laughter and excitement. Since Super Mario is something many students are already familiar with, it created a really comfortable atmosphere where they could enjoy hearing English naturally while still following along with the Japanese subtitles.

One of the best parts of the night was seeing how engaged the students were throughout the movie. They laughed at the jokes, reacted to exciting scenes together, and seemed genuinely invested in the experience. It reminded me how powerful movies can be, not only as entertainment, but also as a way to bring people together and create positive experiences around language learning.

By the end of the event, it was clear that the students truly enjoy these kinds of activities. Several students stayed afterward to talk about the movie, and the overall energy in the room was incredibly positive. Moments like these make me really grateful to be part of the JET Program and to have the chance to connect with students in ways beyond regular lessons.

I’m already looking forward to planning the next movie night, and after the turnout this time, I may need to prepare even more snacks next time around!