Category: 2009/2010 Films

Free Movie Night 7:00 pm 
Tuesday, June 1st Sputnik Bar, Coral Bay (340) 776-6644) PETE SEEGER: POWER OF SONG by Jim Brown (93 min) 2007 “A vibrant musical film” – Roger Ebert In this documentary, Jim Brown documents the life of one of the greatest American singer/songwriters of the last century. Pete Seeger was the architect of the folk revival. Largely misunderstood and criticized for his strong beliefs, he was picketed, protested, blacklisted, and in spite of his enormous popularity, banned from commercial television for more than 17 years. Musicians including Bob Dylan, Arlo Guthrie, Joan Baez, Bonnie Raitt, Bruce Springsteen, Natalie Maines, and Peter, Paul & Mary appear in this intimate portrait and discuss Seeger’s lasting influence on the fabric of American music. “As the latest tribute — Jim Brown’s loving documentary — makes clear, he’s still busy, still angry, still hopeful, still singing.” The New York Times

Free Movie Night 7:00 pm Tuesday March 11th Sputnik Bar, Coral Bay 776-6644 PLAY, JANKUNU PLAY by Oliver Greene (45) 2006 “… a highly significant accomplishment for the Garifuna people, in their effort to preserve their culture and share their rich heritage with the world.” The Garifuna are people of West African, Arawak and Carib descent who live along the Caribbean coast of Central America from Belize to Nicaragua. One of their most popular rituals is wanaragua, commonly called Jankunu. Dancers wearing colorful regalia entertain by mimicking the military and social customs of the European colonizers of Belize… similar processions performed in the Bahamas, Bermuda, Jamaica, North Carolina, St Kitts-Nevis and Cape Coast, Ghana, reveal the extent to which this ritual is practiced. Meet the Filmmaker! Free Cultural Music Workshop with Oliver Greene  5:00 – 6:30 PM Filmmaker Oliver Greene will present a free workshop before the film and will also participate in audience discussion afterwards. Greene is an Associate Professor at the School of Music, Georgia State University. He holds a Ph.D. in musicology (emphasis, ethnomusicology) from Florida State University and masters and bachelors degrees from Southern Methodist University and the College Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati, respectively. He has published articles in the Black Music Research Journal, Continuum Encyclopedia of Popular Music, the Garland Encyclopedia of World Music and in the book The Garifuna: A Nation Across Borders. Be sure to come meet Oliver Greene and hear of his experiences in creating this informative and colorful film.

Free Movie Night 7:00 pm Thursday April 22nd Marketplace 3rd Floor, St John THE LEATHERBACKS OF ST CROIX a work in progress by Steve Simonsen St John photographer and filmmaker Steve Simonsen presents his documentary about the conservation of Leatherback sea turtles at Sandy Point Wildlife Refuge on St Croix. Working alongside members of the Fish and Wildlife Service and The West Indies Marine Animal Research and Conservation Service, Steve hopes the film will help raise awareness of the endangered creatures to help protect, recover and sustain the threatened and endangered marine animals of the West Indies. Come hear Steve tell of his experiences in making this beautiful and moving film.   Come hear Steve tell of his experiences in making this beautiful and moving film. Steve Simonsen is widely known for his breathtaking underwater images. He is the creator of the award winning coffee table book “Living Art, St. John” and a regular contributor to Caribbean Travel & Life, Scuba Diving and Sport Diver magazines among others.  Steve and his wife Janet base their stock photography business, “Marine Scenes”, year round on St John.  Steve also teaches photography and video production classes to high school students. He is passionate about passing on knowledge to the next generation while pursuing his own lifelong desire to make films. Click on Steve’s image to visit his website. Click on Steve’s image to visit his website. Also Screening:   SEAS OF CHANGE: Spawning Aggregations in the Virgin Islands by Tim Kelly and Perry Pickert (28 min) 2006 “In the Virgin Islands, the bond between man and sea is timeless.” Once huge schools of spawning fish provided a seemingly endless bounty, but today spawning schools are disappearing and fishing grounds are being closed. Fishermen are struggling to preserve their livelihoods, and scientists from the University of the Virgin Islands are racing to understand how these huge schools of spawning fish can restore and maintain fish populations across the Caribbean. “No fish, no fishery, but how can a fisherman resist a gathering of fish so dense that a good catch is guaranteed?” In the Virgin Islands, a few years back, not many did. The result: Nassau grouper disappeared. Other species were headed for the same fate, until the government, scientists, and fishermen together decided a little TLC would be a good idea. LINK: Interview with “Seas of Change” filmmaker Also Featuring:                   AN UPDATE ON THE INVASIVE LIONFISH Presented by Karl Pytlik and Jessica Hornbeck Click on the image for more information from NOAA.

  2010 Earth Day Environmental Fair – Friday April 23rd                                  National Park Ball Field, Cruz Bay, 9:00 am to 1:00 pm St John Film Society joins the VINP and Friends of VINP to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. Visit St John Film Society’s booth to watch fun and educational film shorts and learn something new about the fascinating underwater world! All Earth Week events are FREE and open to the public! All Earth Week events are FREE and open to the public! All Earth Week events are FREE and open to the public! Reef Fest on the Beach – Saturday April 24th Hawksnest Beach, Noon to Sunset Come to the beach and celebrate our amazing marine environment. This family-friendly event, featuring underwater reef tours, expert naturalists, snorkel clinics, kayaking, sand castle contests, and much more, is free of charge including lunch!

Free Movie Night 7:00 pm Thursday March 18th Marketplace 3rd Floor, St John THE AGRONOMIST by Jonathan Demme (90 min) 2003 The life of tireless Haitian human rights acitivist Jean Dominique: This fascinating profile of inspired, and inspiring, Haitian independent radio broadcaster Jean Dominique is informative about the history of Haiti’s political strife and includes news film clips and interviews with family members and colleagues. Despite increasing threats and violence, Dominique maintained his radio station as a haven of truth and free speech. For the film Demme interviewed Jean Dominique and his wife Michele Montas, both in Haiti and during periods of their exile in New York. “…Jean Dominique embodies the fragile, perpetual hope that Haiti, so long tormented by foreign meddlers and domestic dictators, might someday nurture a just and decent political order…a lively immediacy unusual in documentaries of its kind.”                                                                   The New York Times