Author: Andrea Leland

180° South Jan 6, 2015 / 7:30 pm St. John School of the Arts, Cruz Bay  Chris Malloy, Director| 2010 | 85 min.   Inspired by Yvon Chouinard and Doug Tompkins’ 1968 excursion into Patagonia, adventurer Jeff Johnson sets out to retrace the footsteps of his heroes’ arduous trek as filmmaker Chris Malloy follows with camera in hand. But despite the thrill of surfing the biggest wave he’s ever encountered, Johnson quickly discovers just how treacherous things can get when you decide to challenge Mother Nature’s majesty; in addition to enduring some particularly rough waters just off the coast of Easter Island, he quickly discovers that conquering Cerro Corcovado is no simple task. Later, during a face-to-face meeting with Chouinard and Tompkins, Johnson learns how their lifelong quest to explore everything that nature has to offer eventually lead them on a drive to ensure that the places they visited over the years will be preserved for future generations of explorers to discover. 

Maya Lin Dec 9, 2014 / 7:30 pm St. John School of the Arts, Cruz Bay  Freida Lee Mock , Director, Producer and Writer| 1995 | 105 min. It was one of the most bitterly disputed public monuments in American history. Only 21 when her design for the Washington, D.C. Vietnam Veterans Memorial was chosen in 1981, Maya Lin has never shied away from controversy. Her starkly simple slash of polished black granite inscribed with the 57,661 names of those who died in Vietnam was viciously attacked as “dishonorable,” “a scar,” and “a black hole,” but Lin remained committed to her vision, and the Memorial, a moving tribute to sacrifice and quiet heroism, was built as planned. Since then, Lin has completed a succession of eloquent, startlingly original monuments and sculptures that confront vital American social issues. Freida Lee Mock’s Academy Award® winning feature documentary follows a decade in the life of this visionary artist.  

Blackfish June 3, 2014 / 7:30 pm St. John School of the Arts, Cruz Bay  Gabriela Cowperthwaite, Director and Co-Writer| 2013 | 83 min. Many of us have experienced the excitement and awe of watching 8,000 pound orcas, or “killer whales,” soar out of the water and fly through the air at sea parks, as if in perfect harmony with their trainers. Yet this mighty black and white mammal has many sides – a majestic, friendly giant, seemingly eager to take trainers for a ride around the pool, yet shockingly – and unpredictably – able to turn on them at a moment’s notice.  BLACKFISH unravels the complexities of this dichotomy, employing the story of notorious performing whale Tilikum, who – unlike any orca in the wild – has taken the lives of several people while in captivity. So what went wrong? Shocking footage and riveting interviews with trainers and experts manifest the orca’s extraordinary nature, the species’ cruel treatment in captivity over the last four decades and the growing disillusionment of workers who were misled and endangered by the highly profitable sea-park industry. This emotionally wrenching, tautly structured story challenges us to consider our relationship to nature and reveals how little we humans truly know about these highly intelligent, and surprisingly sentient, fellow mammals that we only think we can control.

One Lucky Elephant May 6, 2014 / 7:30 pm St. John School of the Arts, Cruz Bay  Lisa Leeman, Director and Co-Writer| 2010 | 84 min. Ten years in the making, ONE LUCKY ELEPHANT follows the poignant journey of circus producer David Balding as he tries to find a nurturing and permanent home for Flora, the 18-year-old African elephant that he rescued as an infant, raised as his “daughter” and made the star of his circus. David’s love for Flora is put to the ultimate test when he realizes he made a terrible mistake keeping her as a solo elephant, and decides to retire her from the circus after 17 years of performing. Knowing Flora will outlive him, and with his health and finances becoming an issue, David sets off on a quest to find a home for Flora can live freely with other elephants. This complicated task begins with Flora’s final circus performance in St. Louis and takes us on an emotional trek across America, then to Africa and back. We follow David’s journey as he discovers just how difficult it is to find a proper home for an elephant in a world that reveres these animals for their majesty yet slaughters them for their ivory, adores them as cuddly Dumbos yet brands them “rampaging creatures”. ONE LUCKY ELEPHANT raises critical issues about the well-being and future of the hundreds of thousands of endangered and exotic animals kept in captivity, the over development and destruction of their natural habitats, our intense and often damaging relationship with wild animals, and how all these issues have impacted the life of one very lucky elephant.  

Yurumein: Homeland Andrea Leland, of St John Film shares her 2013 documentary April 1, 2014 / 7:30 pm St. John School of the Arts, Cruz Bay Yurumein: Homeland Andrea Leland | 2013 | 50 min. The Caribs of St. Vincent, a new documentary from independent filmmaker Andrea Leland, recounts the painful past of the Carib people on the Caribbean island of St. Vincent – their extermination at the hands of the British, the decimation of their culture on the island, and the exile of survivors to Central America. But the Carib story does not end there.. The film also captures the powerful moment of homecoming for descendants of the St. Vincent Caribs, when members of the National Garifuna Folkloric Ballet from Honduras makes an official pilgrimage (organized by both governments) to St. Vincent. The trauma and painful dislocation that the returning Garifuna dancers experience, especially when they visit Balliceux (the site where over 3,000 Caribs were massacred in 1793), becomes a celebration of reunification, and incites the beginnings of a movement among Garifuna people to revitalize their traditional language, music, dance, and rituals. As Garifuna from around the world come together to remember and celebrate the lives and resilience of their shared ancestors, they also begin to discover possibility and hope for the future of Garifuna culture and community. In 2001, UNESCO (United National Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization) awarded the Garifuna community the title: “Proclamation of Masterpieces of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.” YURUMEIN includes a SURROUND SOUND soundtrack with Garifuna music by Andy Palacio and Rhodee Castillo and additional music by Abuza from St. Vincent & the Grenadines. Andrea Leland is an artist and independent filmmaker. She has produced and directed a number of award winning documentaries focusing on Caribbean and Latin American cultures. Her filmmaking experience covers a span of over twenty years.  In 1998 Ms. Leland co-founded and co-directed REELTIME, a monthly screening series in Evanston Illinois (www.reeltimeevanston.org). Currently Ms. Leland spends most of her time in the Virgin Islands   For additional information about Ms. Leland, see www.andrealeland.com.