The St. Andrews Film Society Presents: Melting Lands, Plus Two Short Films

Film/Video

Sunday, February 14 7:30 pm (AT)

St. Andrews - W. C. O’Neill Arena Theatre

Saint John-based director/filmmaker Greg Hemmings will join us for these screenings. He'll speak briefly about the films we're screening and will answer questions from the audience about these films and his other film projects. The impact of both climatic and culture shifting in an Inuit community in Nunavut is explored in Greg Hemming's feature film Melting Lands. Greg will relate something of his experience shooting this film and will try to field our questions about his films, his hopes for future films, and about how New Brunswick works for him as a base for making films. Two of Greg's short films will round out this 90 minute film society showcase of his work. The show kicks off at 7:30 p.m on Sunday, February 14th at the W.C. O'Neill Arena Theatre in St. Andrews. Greg's Melting Lands, a 53-minute documentary released in 2008, explores the effects of climate change in Kangiqsujuaq, a remote community of about 600 people in Nunavut, where traditional Inuit lifeways remain relatively strong in the face of modernity's corrosive challenges. Hemmings’cameras follow Inuit hunters, show igloo building from the builder's perspective as the structure's dome of snow blocks is molded from below, and take viewers to the dark world below unstable sea ice where mussels, an important winter food, are harvested at low water. Melting Lands examines the generational erosion of tradition and the elders' patient efforts to slow its loss as children and grandchildren learn the skills of hunter-gatherers and enjoy the "country food" that sustained their ancestors here for centuries. We'll also show two of Greg Hemmings’ short films, El Sistema (6 minutes), about the phenomenal orchestra-based national music education program from Venezuela that was adopted by New Brunswick's Youth Orchestra last year as a means for getting more kids hooked on classical music in our province, and Cancer and Healing (7 minutes), commissioned by a group whose mission is to empower cancer patients to find healing in as many ways as possible – it chronicles the life experiences of two cancer survivors in Andrew’s Story and Julie’s Story. All are welcome and admission is free, although a donation of $3 for members ($4 for non-members) is suggested. For more information about this event or the film society, call 529-4982 or 529-3067 or see www.standrewsartscentre.org/events.htm. See you at the movies!

For more information contact Staff at (506) 529-3067

Website: http://www.standrewsartscentre.org/events.htm

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