Tuesday, May 7: SUGAR PATHWAYS

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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.