Film Screenings: “I Just Love to Paddle” & “Miss South Pacific” 2012

Miss South Pacific: Beauty & the Sea: 39 min directed by Mary Lambert, produced by Teresa Tico (who will participate in the Q&A after the film) Film Website: http://www.misssouthpacificthemovie.com/
Movie Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qj9z0JbTr5o

The film is about the strength, beauty, and intelligence of the South Pacific Island women who competed in the 2009-2010 Miss South Pacific Pageant in Suva, Fiji. It is also a film about climate change and how increasingly destructive weather patterns and rising sea levels are impacting the daily lives of all South Pacific islanders.

The Pageant takes us on a weeklong journey that showcases the women in the South Pacific, from island countries as famous as French Polynesia, Fiji and Samoa, to the lesser known atolls of Tuvalu, Kiribati, and Niue. We watch as the contestants, or “Cultural Ambassadors” as they are called, proudly display their traditional attire and perform dances and songs from their native countries. We also listen as they give us heart-rending accounts of the effects of climate change on their island homes. The theme of the Pageant, “Preserving Our Environment The Pacific Way,” was chosen by the contest organizers because global warming is now having an adverse effect on most Pacific Island countries, particularly in atolls and low lying coastal areas.

I Just Love to Paddle 31 min directed by Marta Czajkowska (Marta will take part in the Q&A session after the film)

There are few paddlers in the world that can match experience and knowledge of Nappy Napoleon. In a time when our pop icons exhibit ambitious self-promotion, glitz and sex appeal, Uncle Nappy – as he is affectionately known – is a humble hero. Humorously self-effacing, he radiates an inner calm, patience, and infectious confidence. He possesses an extraordinary bond with the nature and a magical relationship with the ocean.

The film is a story of a man who lives, loves, practices, teaches and perpetuates an ancient tradition in the contemporary world. Nappy provides a modern day example of an ancient Hawaiian paradigm: superb ocean judgment, wisdom about the hearts of others, total commitment to his life calling, and an unparalleled decency of character.

The story focuses on an expedition in July 2008, when Napoleon (67 years old) with five paddling companions attempt to cross 9 Hawaiian channels in 6 consecutive days, each in a one-man outrigger canoe, a total of almost 240 miles.