Author: Andrea Leland

A Special Screening at Cinnamon Bay Amphitheater, St John PROUDLY WE SERVED: Virgin Islands Veterans of WWII Produced for the American Legion in the U.S. Virgin Islands by Joan Keenan (56 min.) 2009 Click on the image at left to view the film project’s website. Veterans from the Virgin Islands faced unique challenges as they left a small, predominantly African Caribbean-American community to join the segregated armed forces of the United States. The surviving group of veterans provided a rich source of historical and social perspectives. The result of over 30 interviews, this important documentary provides insight into the lives and experiences of these veterans: their motivation for serving in the armed forces, their experiences with racism, their contributions and the effects of their service on their lives. Shot on location in St. Croix, St. Thomas, St. John and Maryland.   ALSO FEATURING: THE ROCK/TRANSFER a short by Janet Cook-Rutnik and Bill Stelzer (8:03 min) 2009 “For amidst these crumbling walls echo a multitude of voices, and each has its own tale to tell.” Part of the “Facing Locality” exhibition at the Caribbean Museum of Art, The Rock Transfer is about the weight of history collective and personal as well as an attempt to reconnect the past with the present through a symbolic gesture in which an object that signifies the past is moved from one historical place (Annaberg Sugar Factory on St. John) to another (Caribbean Museum Center for the Arts in Frederiksted, St. Croix). The Rock/Transfer was included in the 4th International Video Festival of Jakarta, at the Galeri Nasional Indonesia, that opened this fall in Jakarta, Indonesia. SPECIAL GUESTS: WELCOME VETERANS! Please join us for this special screening as we honor Veterans from the VI and beyond. Distinguished guests will include members of Team River Runner, veterans of the Wounded Warriors Project, as they are hosted by our local American Legion Post 131. Click on the image at left to find out more about this heroic mission! YouTube video – Team River Runner, St. John kayak trip: Link. Wounded Warriors St. John dive trip article: Link

THE POWER OF COMMUNITY: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil a documentary by Director Faith Morgan and Co-Producers Pat Eugene Murphey & Megan Quinn (53 min) 2006 “…gives hope and explains the transition that we need to make.” Shimmering with life like a cornucopia of colorful vegetables, this vibrant, hopeful film brings to light one of the most important stories of the last two decades – how a small island nation responded to a sudden and dangerous drop in oil supplies. When Cuba’s hefty subsidies of oil, food and other goods ceased after the Soviet Union collapsed and the U.S. tightened its embargo, Cubans suffered terrible hardships. During this ‘peak oil’ crisis, electric power became intermittent, transportation nearly stopped, parts were unavailable, and without fertilizers and tractors, food production declined to precarious levels. But Cuba bounced back. This inspiring film offers us a living model of sustainability, as Cubans tell the remarkable story of their nation’s recovery and its transition to organic agriculture, renewable energy, effective mass transit, lowered consumption, better health, and stronger communities. A project of the Arthur Morgan Institute for Community Solutions, a non-profit organization that designs and teaches low-energy solutions to the current unsustainable, fossil fuel based, industrialized, and centralized way of living. Visit www.communitysolution.org for more information.

One man’s fight for a fair price in the coffee trade BLACK GOLD by Marc and Nick Francis (74 min) 2006 “As westerners revel in designer lattes and cappuccinos, impoverished Ethiopian coffee growers suffer the bitter taste of injustice.” While the wealthy parts of the world delight in exotic coffees, Ethiopian coffee farmers aren’t paid enough to feed their families and send their children to school. This riveting film tells the story of one man’s fight to obtain a fair price for his farmers’ coffee on the world market. As Tadesse Meskela travels to London and Seattle, the unfair trade practices of the multi-nationals and the World Trade Organization become obvious. The film is guaranteed to raise your awareness about the coffee you drink and will hopefully lead you to decide to buy only freely traded coffee.

“Milagro” is the Spanish word for “miracle” THE MILAGRO BEANFIELD WAR by Robert Redford (117 min) 1988 “Whimsical, yet credible” This enjoyable tale of a small village’s fight over water rights is told with magical realism and humor. The residents of a small humble New Mexican agricultural community are threatened when big business appropriates their water rights to supply a posh housing development, thus depriving them of their one source of livelihood, crop raising. One man courageously stands up to fight the usurpers and causes division within the community. Stars Ruben Blades, Sonia Braga, Melanie Griffith, Daniel Stern and John Heard. ” … a populist fable set in some beautiful New Mexican landscapes about one stubborn Chicano’s battle against an uncaring system.” The New York Times