Author: Andrea

2020

SEA OF SHADOWS

7:30 pm / Tuesday, February 18, 2020    ////    St John School of the Arts, Cruz Bay St John Film Society  in collaboration with the St John Festival of the Arts  presents SEA OF SHADOWS 104-minute documentary film Dr Cynthia Smith director of the National Marine Mammal Foundation will be present for Q & A following the screening. SPECIAL LECTURE BEFORE THE SCREENING 1PM @  VIRGIN ISLAND NATIONAL PARK VISITOR CENTER Dr. Smith will present a lecture entitled:  Marine Mammal Conservation in the Caribbean & Beyond FILM SYNOPSIS: A looming disaster in one of the most spectacular environments on Earth sparks a rescue mission unlike any other in Sea of Shadows, a riveting new documentary with the intensity of a Hollywood thriller. When Mexican drug cartels and Chinese traffickers join forces to poach the rare Totoaba fish in the Sea of Cortez, their deadly methods threaten to destroy virtually all marine life in the region, including the most elusive and endangered whale species on Earth known as the Vaquita porpoise. But a team of brilliant scientists, high-tech conservationists, investigative journalists and courageous undercover agents, as well as the Mexican Navy, put their lives on the line to save the last remaining Vaquita and bring the vicious international crime syndicate to justice. DR. CYNTHIA SMITH: As the Executive Director for the National Marine Mammal Foundation (NMMF), Smith is charged with furthering the nonprofit’s organizational mission to improve and protect life for marine mammals by integrating exceptional care with innovative science, service, and education. Smith also serves as the Chief Medical Officer for the NMMF and continues to lead projects focused on marine mammal health and welfare. She is Program Manager for Vaquita CPR which aimed to rescue the critically endangered Vaquita porpoise from extinction DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT: “My goal as a director is to try to have a lasting impact on our world by focusing on issues that threaten our natural environment.  What is happening in Mexico is yet another example of human-caused devastation due to the greed of a few. By illuminating the problem through cinematic and compelling storytelling while offering solutions and captivating heroes with a cause, I hope to help save this precious ecosystem, which is on the verge of total collapse. I believe each one of us has the ability to be part of the solution. I try to use my skills as a filmmaker to inspire audiences to never give up on our planet and help bring change toward a better and brighter future.”  – Richard Ladkani  

2020

UNSETTLED

St John Film Society  presents  7:30 pm / Wednesday, January 15, 2020 St John School of the Arts, Cruz Bay UNSETTLED Feature length documentary film Filmmaker Tom Shepard will be present for Q & A following the screening. SYNOPSIS: UNSETTLED is a three-year longitudinal character-driven feature documentary portraying three independent and unique stories of LGBT refugees and asylum seekers and told through a narrative three-act structure: Subhi, a gay Syrian refugee who, having survived multiple death threats from Islamic terrorists, beatings by a violent and homophobic father, and a nation devastated by years of war, finds his voice as a leader for refugee rights in the U.S.; Cheyenne and Mari, a lesbian couple from Angola who, having faced brutal harassment from family and neighbors, seek uncertain asylum through the American immigration courts while pursuing their dreams of becoming musicians; and Junior, a gender non-conforming gay man from the Democratic Republic of the Congo who struggles to find even basic housing and livelihood while exploring a more fluid gender identity. The film follows these journeys of resettlement in the San Francisco Bay Area over a three-year period – arrivals and reasons for fleeing (back stories); layers of struggle, transition and acculturation in their first months and years in the U.S.; and finally, healing from past traumas and pursuing their aspirations as they become more “settled.” An engrossing and empathetic look at the particular struggles of U.S. immigration in the new millennium.— Dennis Harvey  Variety magazine WATCH THE TRAILER HERE  DIRECTOR  PRODUCER: TOM   SHEPARD PRODUCER / CINEMATOGAPHER: JEN GILOMEN For 20 years, filmmaker Tom Shepard has produced, directed, edited, and distributed documentary films. Four of his feature projects – SCOUT’S HONOR, KNOCKING, WHIZ KIDS and THE GROVE – have aired nationally on PBS. Coverage of his work has been featured prominently in the U.S. and foreign press, including in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Washing- ton Post, and Boston Globe. Shepard’s films have played in more than 150 film festivals world- wide – including Full Frame, Silver Docs and the Sundance Film Festival (where he won two top awards in 2001).   DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT: “As a member of the LGBT community, growing up in the U.S. I was faced with misrepresentations of queer people. Documentary filmmaking, for me, has become not only a craft but a way to reach into the darker corners of my own life and explore forces that scapegoat groups of people. There are few groups in current international discourse more maligned than refugees and immigrants. That discourse, in the U.S., has turned toxic. What drives this work is finding humanizing, non-threatening occasions for viewers to rethink attitudes and policies and use the empathic power of the film to change hearts and minds. As current American leadership steers away from multilateral policies and pluralism (and closer to isolationism and tribalism) I hope UNSETTLED will lift the voices of those who argue for engagement, cultural diplomacy and meaningful response to those who are most persecuted.” – Tom Shepard

2019 films

Tuesday, May 7: SUGAR PATHWAYS

St John Film Society in partnership with Bajo El Sol Gallery  7:30 pm / Tuesday, May 7, 2019 SUGAR PATHWAYS 50-minute documentary film presented at the Bajo El Sol Gallery in Mongoose Junction, Cruz Bay. Filmmaker Johanna Bermúdez-Ruiz will be present for Q & A following the screening. Thank you to St John Inn for hosting our visiting filmmaker!!  SYNOPSIS: Sugar Pathways is a powerful and vibrant film that recounts the story of migration by Puerto Rican families from the small Caribbean island of Vieques to the US Virgin Islands. The severe economic conditions fueled by the “Great Depression” compelled hundreds to migrate. Twenty years later, a second migration of women, men, and children occurred. This was due to the U.S. Navy’s brutal expropriation, damage and destruction they inflicted on civilian lands, homes, and properties. This riveting film tells the story of Puerto Rican families’ survival of their journeys, their integration, and their contributions to the culture, economy and politics of the U.S. Virgin Islands. Sugar Pathways is narrated by actress Luna Lauren Vélez of the Emmy Award-winning Showtime series “Dexter.” FILMMAKER BIO: A graduate of Antioch College with a specialization in film studies, filmmaker Johanna Bermúdez-Ruiz has a passion for story-telling. Born in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, Johanna directed and produced the award-winning documentary, VIEQUES: AN ISLAND FORGING FUTURES, and recently completed the compelling and beautifully depicted feature-length documentary film, SUGAR PATHWAYS. Johanna was nominated Best Film Directed by a Woman of Color, and has won numerous awards including Maffa Film Festival Best Short Documentary, San Juan Cinema Fest Pitirre award for Best Short Documentary, and ImageNation Jury Special Mention Award.

2019 films

April 2: Paradise Discovered: The Unbreakable Virgin Islanders

St John Film Society in partnership with Bajo El Sol Gallery  7:30 pm / Tuesday, April 2, 2019 This film will be presented at the Bajo El Sol Gallery in Mongoose Junction, Cruz Bay. Bailey will be present for Q & A following the screening. Paradise Discovered: The Unbreakable Virgin Islanders A 60-minute documentary film by St Thomas journalist and  filmmaker Peter Bailey. & Two films from FILMMAKERS UNITE:  FILM SYNOPSIS:  On September 6, 2017, hurricane Irma struck the island of St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands. The category 5 storm was the strongest ever recorded in the Atlantic Ocean. Less than two weeks later hurricane Maria, another category 5 storm, struck the already destroyed island paradise. The tragedy marked the first time in modern history that two category 5 hurricanes hit the same place in less than two weeks. Paradise Discovered: The Unbreakable Virgin Islanders is based on Bailey’s New York Times Op Ed ‘Has America’s Forgotten the Virgin Islands’, which he wrote while building a make-shift roof and living without electricity for 90 days. Unbreakable brings to life what has been called the worst natural disaster in American history. “When nature and the rest of the world left us in darkness we gave each other light,” says Bailey.   Peter Bailey’s Bio: Peter Bailey is an award-winning author, journalist and founder of NiteCap Media, a cutting edge multi-media company known for producing the critically-acclaimed NiteCap conversation series in which Bailey engages in introspective discussions with A-list entertainers, business leaders and other newsmakers.  His first book “Magic City: Trials of a Native Son”, a memoir on the life of hip hop legend Trick Daddy with whom he co-authored the book was praised as being “one of the pop music gems of 2010” by the New York Times. Bailey also made a foray into acting, starring alongside Lynn Whitfield, John Diehl and Keith David in the civil war drama “The North Star” after an award-winning career as a staff writer for Time, Newsweek and The Miami Herald.” Peter Bailey, born on St Thomas, currently lives in Miami.  FILMMAKERS UNITE Short films to be screened before the feature film: THIS IS MY COUNTRY by Kris Samuelson and John Haptas ( 6:43 minute film ) Rising bigotry towards immigrants is spawning fear and anxiety that permeate the lives of children just trying to get through school in the country they call home.  

2019 films

Tues, March 12: OUT OF MY HEAD

St John School of the Arts / 7:30 pm / Tuesday, March 12, 2019 St John Film Society presents OUT OF MY HEAD Full length documentary followed by Q & A with filmmaker Jacki Ochs  Plus the following two short films:  THIS IS MY COUNTRY by Kris Samuelson and John Haptas ( 6-minute)  STATE OF THE UNION by Alan Berliner ( 3-minutes) “When I say a headache I don’t mean just a headache, I mean something that would totally brutalize you.” Joan Didion OUT OF MY HEAD Synopsis: A filmmaker, seeking treatment for her daughter’s migraine attacks, discovers a confounding neurological disease and learns why a devastating condition, afflicting nearly a billion people worldwide, remains so deeply misunderstood. There are few things more frightening than having a child who is sick, who you don’t know how to help and whose illness you don’t understand. That’s what Susanna Styron experienced when her daughter Emma’s spells of blindness and vomiting began at the age of fourteen. Emma’s eventual migraine diagnosis, rather than putting an end to the mystery and confusion, was just the beginning, as mother and daughter embarked on a years-long journey to discover the truth about living with migraine. Follow this and other stories through thoughtful interviews and animation as experts try to come up with answers for those suffering with headaches. https://outofmyheadfilm.com. Filmmaker Jacki Ochs JACKI OCHS is a Producer/Director of documentary film. Her work includes Vietnam: The Secret Agent , Letters Not About Love and Jazz Summit. Among the awards she has received are New York Film Festival premiere, Sundance Special Jury Prize, SXSW Best Feature Documentary, American Film Festival Best New Director. Jacki executive produced Keith Beauchamp’s Emmy nominated Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till, and Kristi Zea’s Everybody Knows…Elizabeth Murray. She is a two time MacDowell Colony and Guggenheim Fellow and Executive Director of Human Arts Association. FILMMAKERS UNITE Short films to be screened before the feature film: THIS IS MY COUNTRY by Kris Samuelson and John Haptas ( 6:43 minute film ) Rising bigotry towards immigrants is spawning fear and anxiety that permeate the lives of children just trying to get through school in the country they call home. STATE OF THE UNION by Alan Berliner