Category: 2009/2010 Films

A Special Thanks to Our Audience, Sputnik and Laurel Chiten… St John Film would like to thank Laurel Chiten for sharing her film, Touched, with our audience on Tuesday night at Sputnik. We enjoyed a nice roti dinner together before the show and an interesting question and answer period afterward. We’d also like to thank Ms. Chiten for sharing a preview of her work in progress: From Within, Without, a film about homeopathy. For those who expressed interest in seeing this film once finalized, please stay tuned for updates! For more information about Laurel Chiten and her works, visit her website:  www.blinddogfilms.com. dddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd Free Movie Night 7:00 pm 
Tuesday, March 2nd Sputnik Bar, Coral Bay (340) 776-6644 TOUCHED by Laurel Chiten (65 min) 2002 “a documentary about people who think they’ve had contact with aliens, and the Harvard psychiatrist who believes them.“ A few years ago, Harvard psychiatrist John Mack, a leading researcher in the alien encounter phenomenon … wanted me to consider making a movie about encounters with these alien life forms. I told him no. I knew next to nothing about alien abduction, had no interest and thought it was all rather foolish. Then, he invited me to meet some of the people who claim to have had these experiences … I had stumbled into a world filled by people who had been touched by something … and had their lives blown apart because of it. “The debate as to whether these stories are true or not could go on forever. Instead, I became more interested in the people — those who have had their lives both torn apart and transformed by this experience.” Meet the Filmmaker! Don’t miss the opportunity to meet Laurel Chiten who will be present to introduce and discuss this intriguing film. Ms Chiten has been an independent filmmaker for over twenty years. TOUCHED won Best Documentary at its Canadian premiere at the Female Eye Film Festival (FeFF) in Toronto on November 22, 2003. TOUCHED also won Best Documentary of 2003 in the “Abductee or Contactee” category at a long-running UFO convention. To read more about Ms Chiten and her films, click this LINK. Join us for Dinner with the Filmmaker before the show! 5:30 PM ~ By Reservation Only ~ JuJu’s delicious Roti’s: Chicken, Conch or Veggie + Dessert & Drinks! $20 pp / $15 for Film Society Members (Memberships sold at the door)

        Free Movie Night 7:00 pm Thursday February 18th Marketplace 3rd Floor, St John SARAYAKU: Rivers of Corn a documentary by Marta Noemí Bautis (63 min) 2009 Click the image at left to view the film’s website. In the year 2002 the people of Sarayaku successfully resisted the invasion of an international oil company. Sarayaku: Rivers of Corn is a journey to this Kichua 
community in the south of the Ecuadorian Amazonia, five years 
after the frustrated invasion. This documentary recreates the story through the memory of several women that participated in the events of 2002, and contrasts daily life scenes with those of the struggle 
of the people of Sarayaku to defend their ancestral lands. Meet the Filmmaker! Filmmaker Marta Noemí Bautis will be present to introduce her film and participate in discussion with the audience afterwards. She was born in Argentina and has traveled throughout Latin America as a photojournalist. She is an award winning documentary filmmaker whose videos have been screened at numerous national and international festivals. Ms Bautis is a faculty member at the School of Contemporary Arts, Ramapo College of New Jersey and founder of Tiempo Azul Productions. Don’t miss the opportunity to meet Ms Bautis and hear her personal experiences in creating this important film.   SPECIAL PRIX FIXE DINNER with Filmmaker Marta Bautis! 5:30 PM Our friends at La Plancha del Mar will be serving a lovely three course meal, including appetizer, dessert and wine tasting!  Seating will be limited, so please make your reservation today! $35 pp OR $25 for Film Society Members.                                     (Memberships sold at the door) CALL 777-7333 Click the La Plancha del Mar logo (above) to visit their website and view their menu.

IN THE TIME OF THE BUTTERFLIES by Mariano Barroso (95 min) 2001 Based on the novel of the same name, by Julia Álvarez Click the image at left for more information about the film. “Women had their place. Hers was in the revolution.” In the Time of the Butterflies is inspired by the true story of the three Mirabal sisters who, in 1960, were murdered for their part in an underground plot to overthrow the government of Rafael Leónidas Trujillo. Starring Salma Hayek as Minerva Mirabal, this is a tale of courage and sisterhood set in the Dominican Republic during the rise of the Trujillo dictatorship. “We cannot allow our children to grow up in this corrupt and tyrannical regime, we must fight against it, and I am willing to give up everything, including my life if necessary.” ~ Patria Mirabal “It is a source of happiness to do whatever can be done for our country that suffers so many anguishes.” ~ Minerva Mirabal LAS MARIPOSAS (The Butterflies) Patria Mercedes, Maria Teresa and Minerva Argentina Mirabal Click on the image at left for more information.

YOUNG@HEART a heartwarming documentary by Stephen Walker & Sally George (107 min) 2007 !!! ROCK AND ROLL WILL NEVER DIE !!! Click the image at left to visit the film’s website. Prepare to be entertained by the inspiring individuals of Young@Heart Chorus, a New England senior citizens chorus that has delighted audiences worldwide with their covers of songs by everyone from The Clash to Coldplay. As the film begins the retirees, led by their demanding musical director, are rehearsing their new show, struggling with Sonic Youth’s dissonant rock anthem “Schizophrenia” and giving new meaning to James Brown’s “I Feel Good”. What ultimately emerges is a funny and unexpectedly moving testament to friendship, creative inspiration, and defying expectations. Watch Young@Heart Trailer ggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg “…offers an encouraging vision of old age in which the depression commonly associated with decrepitude is held at bay by music making, camaraderie and a sense of humor.” New York Times Click the image at left for more on info on the Young@Heart Chorus.

Thanks to all the film lovers of St John and St Thomas, we had a fantastic turnout of around 120 people! It was great to have filmmaker Tony Pagano present. The discussion afterwards added a lot to the experience, and the thoughtful questions from the audience sparked interesting stories about the making of the film. A special thanks to the Virgin Islands Council for the Arts for helping underwrite this event.