An eye on the outside world will be available in the U.S. Virgin Islands in April when the second annual Margaret Mead Film Festival comes to the University of the Virgin Islands. Presented by the American Museum of Natural History, the festival's films will be shown beginning at 7 p.m. on April 10, 11 and 12, and on April 17, 18 and 19 in the first floor conference room of the new Administration and Conference Center on the St. Thomas campus.

Annually the Margaret Mead Festival makes innovative non-fiction work available to communities throughout the United States and abroad. This year's festival, hosted by UVI's Communication Program within the Division of Humanities and Social Sciences, will feature the screenings of 10 independent, cultural documentary films.

On Saturday, April 12, the festival will transport the audience to Bali to see how a street comedian confronts terrorism using puppets. On April 17, the festival turns its attention to the Buddhist concept of reincarnation, tracing the life of a reincarnated Lama. Also included are two evenings devoted to water. On Friday, April 18, and Saturday, April 19, films from India and the U.S. will concentrate on the politics of water, its use and abuse. One film features residents of a close-knit community struggling with the city water company over rapidly rising bills.

"The traveling festival is featured at museums, universities and colleges throughout the United States and abroad," said UVI Communication Professor Dr. Alex Randall. "UVI has arranged for all of the films in this year's series to be shown to the St. Thomas community."

The film program is free and open to the public. UVI faculty members will be on hand to lead discussions and interpret the films. A limited number of seats will be filled on a first come, first served basis.

Location/Time:

Location: First Floor Conference Room of UVI's new Administration and Conference Center - St. Thomas Campus. Time: Films begin at 7 p.m. each day.

Films/Dates:

Thursday, April 10

"The Birthday" -- Rethinking Gender in Iran

Sexuality remains bound to tradition in modern Iran, and yet within this rigid Islamic society this film follows the experiences of a young man who decides to become a woman. (Negin Kianfar and Daisy Mohr. 2006. 63 min.)

Friday, April 11

"Grito De Piedra" -- Beyond Borders from Bolivia

"Grito De Piedra" (Scream of the Stone) - Once the source of legendary wealth in colonial days, Potosí's now economically destitute silver mines have been opened as a tourist destination for visitors to Bolivia. The film follows a Potosí miner, Gavino, and his son, Pedro, a tour guide to the mines, depicting their lives in the mines and as participants in a colonial enterprise that shapes life in South America. (Ton van Zantvoort. 2006. 59 min. Bolivia/The Netherlands.)

"Stranger Comes to town" -- Bodies moving through lands familiar and strange

This video re-purposes animations from the Department of Homeland Security, combining them with stories from the border, images from the online game World of Warcraft, and journeys via Google Earth, to tell a tale of bodies moving through lands familiar and strange. Filmaker Jacqueline Goss focuses on the questions and examinations used to sense of self and view of the world. (Jacqueline Goss. 2007. 28 min.)

Saturday, April 12

"Promised Paradise" -- Confronting terrorism with a film in Bali

Jakarta-based puppeteer Agus Nur Amal travels to Bali to call to account the individuals responsible for the terrorist bombing of a Balinese nightclub in October 2002. As in his theatrical performances, Agus uses humor to explore the complexities of these acts of hate. The results are both revealing and sobering. (Leonard Retel Helmrich. 2006. 52 min. Indonesia/The Netherlands.)

"Trance and Dance in Bali" - Margaret Mead's classic 1936 film will also be shown.

Thursday, April 17

"The Thread of Karma" -- The topic is reincarnation in India

In 1992 the Mead Festival featured the Reincarnation of Khensur Rinpoche which followed the search and discovery of a 4-year-old reincarnated lama, Phara Khenchen Rinpoche. Sixteen years later, "The Thread of Karma" explores the director's intimate look at the life of a young lama as he aspires to live up to the reputation of his former incarnation. It also explores his relationships with the two people closest to him, his attendant and his spiritual master, both of whom were connected to him in his previous life. (Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam. 2007. 52 min.)

Friday, April 18

"Waterfront" -- The politics of water

In Highland Park, Michigan, local activists dealing with economic justice and welfare engage in the debate of how water, a valuable and essential public resource, should be managed in the midst of an economic crisis that silences claims to human rights. The story is an unnerving indication of what may be in store for residents around the world facing their own water struggles. The story is so much like our situation in the Virgin Islands with WAPA water bills. (Elizabeth Miller. 2007. 50 min.)

"Bathing Babies in Three Cultures" -- Another Mead Classic

Saturday, April 19

"Gimmie Green" -- The water program continues

"Gimme Green" is a super-real look at the American obsession with lawns, and the impact it has on our environment, our wallets, and our outlook on life. From subdivisions in Florida to sod farms in the arid Southwest, "Gimme Green" peers behind the curtain of the $40 billion industry that fuels our nation's most irrigated crop-the lawn. (Isaac Brown and Eric Flagg. 2006. 27 min)

"Village of Dust, City of Water" -- The water program continues

The shocking "Village of Dust, City of Water," from India, is a lyrical and chilling ciné poem about social exploitation over access to water in India, where rural water supplies are redistributed to serve booming cities and whole communities are displaced to create dams. (Sanjay Barnela. 2006. 28 min.)