Author: Andrea Leland

FREE SWIM Directed by Jennifer Galvin:  50 minutes   / 2009 /   Documentary 7:30 pm / St. John School of the Arts, Cruz Bay Free Swim is about the paradox of Caribbean coastal people not knowing how to swim. Taking place on the island of Eleuthera in the Bahamas we follow a group of kids as they overcome their fears, and reconnect with their environment by learning to swim in open waters.  With fresh memories of a friend drowning and the conflicts of growing tourism, for these kids it’s not just about floating, but gaining new skills for their future. In the U.S. about 60% of ethnically diverse children are unable to swim and African-American children drown at three times the rate of Caucasian children. Free Swim uses the topic of learning to swim as a way to explore more complicated aspects of life on Eleuthera, such as influences on community function by the media, drowning, tourism, overfishing, and education.  The story thread is woven with footage of children learning to swim in their backyard sea. Underwater footage shows the challenges of learning to breathe in a new environment and the powers of discovering a beautiful, new world.  MEET EXPERTS IN LEARNING TO SWIM AT OUR POST FILM DISCUSSION! Learn about St. John programs that teach our youth how to swim.  Featured guests include Dean Doeling, “Using Sport for Social Change” and the ‘Just Swim’ event and Laurel Brannick, champion of the VI National Park ‘Learn to Swim’ program.

Free Movie Night with Acadamy Award Nominee Rick Goldsmith 7:30 PM St. John School of the Arts, Cruz Bay x THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN IN AMERICA: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers by Rick Goldsmith and Judith Ehrlich (92 min) 2009 Nominated for a 2010 Academy Award as Best Documentary Feature, this important film has won numerous other awards. It is especially relevant in this era of wikileaks. Daniel Ellsberg narrates his own true story in “The Most Dangerous Man in America”. In 1971 he was a leading Pentagon Vietnam War strategist who concluded the war was based on decades of lies. He leaked 7,000 pages of top-secret documents to The New York Times, a daring act of conscience that lead directly to Watergate, President Nixon’s resignation and the end of the Vietnam War. “Detailed, clearly told, persuasive” – The New York Times fffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff Meet the Filmmaker! Rick Goldsmith, along with his co-producer and co-director Judith Ehrlich, are nationally known documentary filmmakers whose cogent and inspirational films deal with the themes of personal risk, conscience, dissent and commitment to ideals. Goldsmith was born and raised on Long Island, New York, and came of age during the war in Vietnam. He studied architecture and dabbled in film at the Rhode Island School of Design. In 1975 he traveled west and has lived in the Bay Area ever since. Please join us in welcoming this Oscar-nominated filmmaker to St John.

Free Movie Night 7:30 pm St. John School of the Arts, Cruz Bay SUGAR A feature length film by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck (120 min) 2008 JUST IN TIME FOR BASEBALL SEASON! SUGAR follows the story of Miguel Santos, a.k.a. Sugar, a Dominican pitcher from San Pedro De Macoris, struggling to make it to the big leagues and pull himself and his family out of poverty. Playing professionally at a baseball academy in the Dominican Republic, Miguel finally gets his break at age 19 when he advances to the United States’ minor league system, but when his play falters, he begins to question the single mindedness of his life’s ambition.

By the time she lost a 15 year battle with breast cancer, Rell’s legacy had grown far beyond athletic feats. HEART OF THE SEA tells her larger-than-life story.

Free Movie Night 7:30 pm St. John School of the Arts, Cruz Bay TAKING ROOT: The Vision of Wangari Maathai by Lisa Merton and Alan Dater (80 min) 2008 The filmmakers will be present for questions and answers after the screening. This award-winning documentary tells the dramatic story of Kenyan Nobel Prize Laureate Wangari Maathai whose simple act of planting trees grew into a nationwide movement to safeguard the environment, protect human rights and defend democracy – a movement for which this charismatic woman became an iconic inspiration. Please click on the image of Wangari to learn more about her awe-inspiring story. nnnnnnnnnnnnnn “It is the people who must save the environment. It is the people who must make their leaders change. And we cannot be intimidated. So we must stand up for what we believe in.”xWangari Maathai xxx Meet the Filmmakers! Lisa Merton began her career as a weaver. She studied textile design and weaving in Scandinavia and, after returning to the U.S., worked professionally as a weaver for ten years. It was not until she started making films in 1989 that she fulfilled her intent to weave images that could inspire social change. She has a Masters in Teaching English and has taught English as a second language in multi-cultural classrooms. She brings her interest in education, cultural diversity, and social change, as well as her skill as a craftsman, to the filmmaking process. Meet the Filmmakers! Meet the Filmmakers! Alan Dater graduated from Goddard College in 1965 with a B.A. in philosophy. He began his film career in New York City, shortly thereafter working on documentaries as a freelance soundman and later as a director/cameraman. Many of these productions were broadcast on the major U.S. networks and include Lifeline, an Emmy Award-winning medical documentary series for NBC; The Body Human, an Emmy Award-winning medical series for CBS; and various National Geographic specials. Dater has gained extensive experience in film and video from working on many productions on the arts, social issues and education as well as projects for the corporate world. These productions include the feature film Hi Mom, directed by Brian De Palma and starring Robert De Niro, and the documentary Johnny Cash: The Man, His World, His Music. After moving to Vermont, Dater continued his freelance career and began producing independent films.