Eating Up Easter (Indie Lens Pop-Up Virtual Screening)
Event Date and Time: May 26, 2020 8:00 pm
Cost: $0
Location: https://bit.ly/EatingUpEaster-OVEE-RSVP
Tickets and Reservations
The iconic statues and sensationalized “mysteries” of Easter Island (Rapa Nui) have drawn the interest of the world for centuries, attracting curious visitors to its shores. Today, this tiny, barren island is experiencing an economic boon as tourism skyrockets. Yet the indigenous culture and the island’s fragile environment are suffering.
EATING UP EASTER, directed by native Rapanui filmmaker Sergio Mata’u Rapu, explores the dilemma his people are facing. Crafted as a story passed down to his newborn son, Sergio intertwines the authentic history of the island with the stories of four islanders. In their own voices, these Rapanui reveal the reality of modern life and the actions they are taking to preserve their culture and environment amidst rapid development.
A local ecologist leads recycling efforts to tackle the mounting trash arriving with tourists and the waves of plastic washing up on shore. Two musicians struggle to build a free music school they hope will preserve cultural practices and reunite their fractured community. Sergio’s father, formerly the island’s first native Governor, attempts to balance traditions against the advantages of development while building a mini-mall in the island’s only town.
For Puffin audiences: Talkback in conjunction with Teaneck International Film Festival to follow.
- Moderator: Harriet Shugarman – Executive Director of ClimateMama
- Dr. David Robinson – New Jersey State Climatologist & Distinguished Professor at Rutgers University
- Alexa Fantacone, M.S., M.A. – Executive Director of The Teaneck Creek Conservancy
- Paula Rogovin – Activist, Educator, Author and Co-Founder of The Coalition to Ban Unsafe Oil Trains and Don’t Gas The Meadowlands Coalition
This is an Indie Lens Pop-Up Virtual Screening co-hosted by Independent Lens | PBS, ITVS, Arkansas Peace and Justice Memorial Movement, Arkansas PBS, Puffin Cultural Forum, Basin PBS, WCTE, WSIU Public Television, KIXE-TV, Kansas City Public Library, Panhandle PBS, Charitable Film Network, Pickford Film Center, MontanaPBS, John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Georgia Public Broadcasting, and Amarillo College.
With support from ITVS, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Kartemquin Films, Pacific Islanders in Communications (PIC), and PBS. #virtualevents