• 01Jun

  June 1st 2010

  Film Presentation No Comments

  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

  Tags: Coral Bay, Documentary, Folk Music, Pete Seeger, Sputnik

• 11May

  May 11th 2010 – Meet the Filmmaker

  Film Presentation No Comments

  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.

  
  

  Tags: Coral Bay, Documentary, Garifuna, Oliver Greene, Sputnik

• 02Mar

  March 2nd 2010 – A Great Night With Visiting Filmmaker Laurel Chiten!

  Film Presentation No Comments

  

  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

• 02Feb

  February 2nd 2010

  Film Presentation No Comments

  
  

  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

• 05Jan

  January 5th 2010 – Meet the Filmmaker

  Film Presentation No Comments

  
  

  NESHOBA

  a documentary by Micki Dickoff & Tony Pagano (90 min) 2008

  Click on the image to the left for a full synopsis.

  “…the story of a Mississippi town still divided about the meaning of justice, 40 years after the murders of three civil rights workers.”

  In the summer of 1964, three young men went to Philadelphia, a small town in the heart of Neshoba County, to register black voters and investigate a church burning.  When their bodies were found 44 days later buried beneath an earthen dam, many people rationalized the men came looking for trouble and got what they deserved. While the killers continued to live and prosper, most townspeople remained silent, as if the murders never happened.

  Finally, in January of 2005, the State of Mississippi indicted the alleged mastermind of the murders, Edgar Ray Killen, an 80-year-old Baptist preacher and notorious racist. The filmmakers gained unprecedented access to Killen. For the first time ever, they capture the outspoken views of a Klan member charged with a civil rights murder and take viewers on a journey into the mindset of a man who, to this day, feels the murders of two Jews and an African-American were justified as self-defense of a way of life.

  Meet the Filmmaker!

  Virgin Islands resident and filmmaker Tony Pagano will be present to introduce his film and participate in discussion with the audience afterwards.

  Don’t miss the opportunity to meet this filmmaker whose career spans 32 years in the commercial and network broadcast industry. Mr Pagano spent 17 years at the ABC News Magazine 20/20, first as an editor, then location audio, and finally as their leading Director of Photography. Tony currently owns and operates his independent production company, Pagano Productions.

  NESHOBA, Pagano’s feature directorial debut, was awarded numerous prizes in 2008, among them BEST DOCUMENTARY at its premier at the Boston Film Festival and BEST POLITICAL DOCUMENTARY at the New York International Film Festival. Link to full list of awards.

  “a disturbing peek at how little some people have changed, as well as an inspiring portrait of others’ determination to see crime punished at last…riveting.”  Dennis Harvey, VARIETY November 2008.  Link to full VARIETY review.

  
  

  Tags: Civil Rights, Coral Bay, Documentary, Local Filmmaker, Mississippi, Racism, Sputnik, Tony Pagano

• 01Dec

  December 1st 2009 ~ Potluck Fundraiser!

  Film Presentation Comments Off

  

  THE HARDER THEY COME

  by Director/Producer Parry Henzel (120 min) 1973

  “Gritty, ground-breaking and graced with one of the greatest soundtracks of all time…”

  Original Soundtrack by Jimmy Cliff, Desmond Dekker, Toots & the Maytals and others.

  Click on the image at left to visit the film’s website.

  “With a piece in his hand he takes on the man!”

  One of the most popular films to come out of Jamaica, The Harder They Come was a triumph for the Jamaican culture and it gave an honest look at life within the ghettos. It also became a legendary cult film. Ivan (Jimmy Cliff) is a country boy looking for fame and fortune in the big city of Kingston, Jamaica. He has dreams of becoming a star in the new reggae scene. When Ivan gets to town, he finds out things wont be as easy as he expected.

  Come out and enjoy some great Reggae Music before and during the show!

  

  A Sing-a-Long, Pot Luck, Fund-Raising Event

  Food, Fun & Fabulous Prizes!

  Join us for our first annual pot luck dinner and fund-rasing raffle. Tickets: $5 each or 5 for $20. All proceeds will be used to continue the Free Film Series for the benefit of St John. Thanks for your continued support!

  Bring a dish to share and a comfy chair…and get ready to Raffle!

  As Always, the Film is Free!

  
  

  
  

  Tags: Coral Bay, Fund-raiser, Jimmy Cliff, Music, Pot Luck Dinner, Reggae, Sing-along, Sputnik

• 06Oct

  October 6th 2009

  Film Presentation No Comments

  

  
  

  THE POWER OF COMMUNITY: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil

  a documentary by Director Faith Morgan and Co-Producers Pat Eugene Murphey & Megan Quinn (53 min) 2006

  “…gives hope and explains the transition that we need to make.”

  Shimmering with life like a cornucopia of colorful vegetables, this vibrant, hopeful film brings to light one of the most important stories of the last two decades – how a small island nation responded to a sudden and dangerous drop in oil supplies.

  When Cuba’s hefty subsidies of oil, food and other goods ceased after the Soviet Union collapsed and the U.S. tightened its embargo, Cubans suffered terrible hardships. During this ‘peak oil’ crisis, electric power became intermittent, transportation nearly stopped, parts were unavailable, and without fertilizers and tractors, food production declined to precarious levels. But Cuba bounced back.

  This inspiring film offers us a living model of sustainability, as Cubans tell the remarkable story of their nation’s recovery and its transition to organic agriculture, renewable energy, effective mass transit, lowered consumption, better health, and stronger communities.

  A project of the Arthur Morgan Institute for Community Solutions, a non-profit organization that designs and teaches low-energy solutions to the current unsustainable, fossil fuel based, industrialized, and centralized way of living.

  Visit www.communitysolution.org for more information.

  Tags: Community, Coral Bay, Cuba, Documentary, Peak Oil, Sputnik

• 01Sep

  September 1st 2009

  Film Presentation No Comments
  

  The Milagro Beanfield War

  
  

  “Milagro” is the Spanish word for “miracle”

  THE MILAGRO BEANFIELD WAR by Robert Redford (117 min) 1988

  “Whimsical, yet credible”

  This enjoyable tale of a small village’s fight over water rights is told with magical realism and humor. The residents of a small humble New Mexican agricultural community are threatened when big business appropriates their water rights to supply a posh housing development, thus depriving them of their one source of livelihood, crop raising. One man courageously stands up to fight the usurpers and causes division within the community.

  Stars Ruben Blades, Sonia Braga, Melanie Griffith, Daniel Stern and John Heard.

  ” … a populist fable set in some beautiful New Mexican landscapes about one stubborn Chicano’s battle against an uncaring system.” The New York Times

  Tags: Coral Bay, Dramatic Film, New Mexico, Robert Redford, Sputnik, Water Rights

• 04Aug

  August 4th 2009

  Film Presentation 2 Comments

  

  SIERRA LEONE’S REFUGEE ALL STARS

  by Banker White and Zach Niles (80 min) 2007

  “Traumatized by physical injuries and brutal losses in Sierra Leone’s civil war, a group of refugees fight back with the only means they have — music.”

  The heartwarming true story of a group of African men who fled Sierra Leone during the civil war that devastated their country from 1991 to 2000. Among them were musicians who began making music as a distraction for their fellow refugees. A UN sponsored trip took the band back to Freetown where they were given the opportunity to make their first studio recording. The band now tours the world.

  
  

  Tags: Coral Bay, Documentary, Music, Refugees, Sierra Leone, Sputnik

• 01Jun

  June 2nd 2009

  Film Presentation 3 Comments

  

  The Lost Boys of the Sudan

  GOD GREW TIRED OF US - a documentary by Christopher Dillon Quinn 2005 (89 min)

  Winner of both the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival

  This touching and inspiring film traces the journey of three of the thousands of Sudan’s Lost Boys who trek barefoot for five years across barren desert to reach the UN refugee camp in Kenya. Over 3000 of them are then resettled in the US. They experience the modern world with the eyes of innocence as they grow accustomed to a new way of life, yet they never lose sight of those who were left behind and their desire to help them as well.

  “…a must-see, if only to remind viewers of the courage, enterprise and integrity that are so often obscured in discussions about immigration.” The Washington Post

  Tags: Immigration, June 2, Lost Boys, Refugees, Sputnik, Sudan, UN

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