Our mission is to inspire a positive appreciation for the history, culture and environment of our US Virgin Islands by establishing a free monthly film series open to and for the benefit of our local community. We will present independent films that celebrate the human spirit with a focus on the Caribbean.
Join us for Tuesday night screenings at Sputnik Bar in Coral Bay, and Thursday night screenings at The Marketplace in Cruz Bay. Please scroll down for our Winter 2010 schedule. For more information on the selected films, click on the film images included in each post.
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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 the 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
Tags: Cruz Bay, Documentary, Free Speech, Haiti, Human Rights, Independent Radio, Jean Dominique, The Marketplace
Leatherback Hatchling on St Croix
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.
Steve Simonsen
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:
Nassau Grouper (Click for info)
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:
Ziggy Livnat
A CROSS-GLOBAL UNDERWATER 
EXPERIENCE
Presented by Visiting Filmmaker Ziggy Livnat
You may have seen Ziggy’s latest film, Learning to Sea, at St John School of the Arts. Now come to hear him speak about his love and respect for the underwater world and view clips from his film works.
Ziggy’s presentation includes the amazing marine life of the Caribbean (USVI), the Red Sea and the Pacific ocean (Hawaii). The depiction of the animals in their natural environment, their beauty and their struggles, with stunning imagery, interesting facts and humor by the filmmaker himself, combine to make this experience a memorable event.
Ziggy Livnat is an independent, multiple international award winning filmmaker who uses video experience to intrigue and promote marine environmental protection. He is back in the Caribbean for an extensive outreach effort and to produce the Caribbean Reef Etiquette public service announcement (PSA), commissioned by NOAA (the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration).
Ziggy has previously worked, among other places, in the Virgin Islands with the St. Croix Environmental Association, in his homeland Israel with the Israeli Ministry of Tourism and in Hawaii where he produced Hawaii’s Reef Etiquette PSA.
Tags: Cruz Bay, Documentary, Earth Day, Perry Pickert, Reef Fest, Steve Simonsen, The Marketplace, Tim Kelly, Ziggy Livnat
St John Film Society joins the VINP and Friends of VINP to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day.
All events are FREE and open to the public!
2010 Earth Day Environmental Fair - Friday April 23rd
National Park Ball Field, Cruz Bay, St. John 9:00 am to 1:00 pm
Visit St John Film Society’s booth to meet Ziggy Livnat, watch his animated film shorts and visit with the filmmaker about his underwater experiences.
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 11th
Marketplace 3rd Floor, St John
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!
Filmmaker Oliver Greene will be present to introduce his film and participate in audience discussion afterwards. He is an Associate Professor at the School of Music, Georgia State University. Greene 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 of Music, the Garland Encyclopedia of World Music and in the book The Garifuna: A Nation Across Borders.
Be sure to come to meet Oliver Greene and hear of his experiences in creating this informative and colorful film.
Tags: Coral Bay, Documentary, Garifuna, Oliver Greene, Sputnik
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.” NY Times
Tags: Coral Bay, Documentary, Folk Music, Pete Seeger, Sputnik
FILM ARCHIVES
The films listed below were featured in our free monthly film series. Scroll down to see all posts or browse by month in the Archives, found in the left panel near the top of our blog.
We’d love some feedback! Please feel free to comment on any of the films you’ve seen.
For additional recommended films not included in our film series, please visit our Recommended Films page.page.
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.
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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)
Tags: Alien Abduction, Alien Encounters, Coral Bay, Documentary, Laurel Chiten, Sputnik, Visiting Filmmaker
Rivers of Corn
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.
Tags: Cruz Bay, Ecuador Documentary, Kichua, Marta Bautis, Oil, The Marketplace
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.
Tags: Baseball, Coral Bay, Dominican Republic, Drama, Sports, Sputnik
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