In 2010 Cutter Hodierne decided to tell the story of a band of Somali pirates who commandeered a Ukrainian ship, the Faina. But he realized that the only way to do it right was to travel to Africa and use Somali actors.
This year's Martha's Vineyard Film Festival will be the biggest in its history, with screenings taking place around the Island.
The Martha's Vineyard Film Festival's four-day event featured 20 movies. In between screenings, filmgoers walked around, mingled with one another and sipped on Chilmark Coffee Company java.
The Martha's Vineyard Film Festival opens on Thursday, March 13, with over 20 films, including features and documentaries, being shown during the weekend. The opening night film to be screened at the Edgartown Cinema's is Fading Gigolo produced by West Tisbury summer resident Jeffrey Kusama-Hinte.
The Martha's Vineyard Film Festival's annual winter event begins March 13 with showings through March 16.
Author Robert Putnam in his book Bowling Alone, published in 2000, examined trends in American society and concluded that the country was growing apart due to lack of community involvement. His thesis pointed to a disengaged populace that was more isolated and therefore less likely to be empathetic. The traditional outlets for bringing a community together were no longer thriving, he said, from bowling leagues to PTA meetings, and as a result the country as a whole was suffering.