Category: 2026 Films

2026 Films

Jordan K. Paul Short Film Screening

Saturday, August 8, 2026, at 5 p.m., when the St. John Film Society, in collaboration with the Gri Gri Project, presents a special screening of works by Crucian filmmaker Jordan K. Paul. The evening will feature screenings of ANIMALS and the Virgin Islands premiere of Peace by Piece, followed by a question-and-answer session with the filmmaker. A suggested donation of $5 is requested. Part of the mission of the St. John Film Society is to present independent films that celebrate the human spirit with a focus on the Caribbean. Jordan K. Paul is an Afro-Caribbean writer, director, and actor from Christiansted, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. A graduate of DeSales University’s TV and Film Production program, Paul’s work centers on character-driven, visually innovative stories exploring moral resilience, memory, and structural identity. Released in 2023, ANIMALS draws from Paul’s personal experience with the Los Angeles Police Department, offering an unflinching examination of the systemic challenges faced by people of color, particularly immigrants and those born outside the continental United States. The film has earned more than ten international awards and official selections, including screenings at the Pan African Film Festival, the Montreal International Black Film Festival, and the Micheaux Film Festival. Paul’s newest film, Peace by Piece (2026), is a sociopolitical science-fiction thriller that examines justice, community, and the complexities of performative activism. Produced through the Panavision New Filmmaker Grant, the film was shot in a single continuous take. It was selected for the invitation-only Voices of Culture showcase during the 30th Anniversary of the American Black Film Festival and has also been named an Official Selection of the LA Short Film Festival, an Academy Award-qualifying festival. Both events reflect the Gri Gri Project’s commitment to showcasing Caribbean artists whose work explores identity, history, resilience, and community through literature, performance, and film. The August 8 film screening is supported by the Virgin Islands Community Foundation, the Virgin Islands Council on the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Both events will be held at Bajo el Sol Gallery and are open to the public.

2026 Films / Home

Films by Vashni Korin

Sunday, April 19, 2026 4 p.m. Bajo el Sol Gallery On Sunday, April 19, 2026, at 4 p.m. Bajo el Sol Gallery, the Gri Gri Project, and the St. John Film Society will host a screening for multiple films by filmmaker and artist Vashni Korin. Attendees will have the opportunity to view Korin’s films, “You Can’t Stop Spirit”, “Negra, Yo Soy Bella”, and “RATHER THAN A POWER”, and engage with the filmmaker in a Q&A session following the screening. There is a suggested donation of $5.   Part of the mission of the St. John Film Society is to present independent films that celebrate the human spirit with a focus on the Caribbean. The upcoming film screening will feature Korin’s works that depict multiple Afro-diasporic perspectives including that of the women of the Baby Doll Mardi Gras masking tradition, an Afro-Puerto Rican woman healing through the Bomba dance tradition, and more.   Vashni Korin is a filmmaker and artist who works with time-based media blending auto-ethnography, documentary, fiction and sound. Her practice explores public and private ritual through beauty, symbol and rites of passage with emphasis on feminine power. She earned a BA in Journalism from Xavier University of Louisiana and is best known for her cultural documentary work “You Can’t Stop Spirit”(New Orleans, LA) featured in the New York Times, Peréz Art Museum Miami and New Orleans Film Festival Prospect 5 (2021).  “Negra, Yo Soy Bella” (Puerto Rico) is a short featured on BET + and screened at film festivals in Latin America and the Caribbean. Other works, such as A Prayer (2022), were shown at The Kitchen and Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.   Awards and accolades for her works include Best Documentary Short at the 2021 London Independent Film Festival, Best Documentary Short at the 2021 New Orleans Film Festival, as well as the 2021 Reel South Award, the 2021 Best Documentary Short Indie Memphis Film Festival & Audience Award, and a Best Documentary Short Nomination in the 2021 Blackstar Film Festival.   Bajo El Sol Gallery is located in Mongoose Junction, St. John it is home of the Gri Gri Project.  The Gri Gri Project’s mission is the creation of interpretive exhibitions, critical writing, events and archives related to the cultural patrimony of the U.S. Virgin Islands and the broader Caribbean region. More information about the film screening and about future films can be found by contacting Raven Philips at the gallery at 340-693-7070 or bajoelsolgallery@gmail.com.