Internationally Award-Winning filmmaker and Native Virgin Islander Johnna Bermudez-Ruiz and Cane Bay Films will screen her documentary, “Sugar Pathways,” Sunday, Feb. 16, from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Bermudez-Ruiz and her sister, chef Wanda Bermudez-Belardo, will offer a three-course meal, paired with libations. The venue is the courtyard of the J&W Latin Bodega, 102 Richmond, Northside Road, Christiansted, next to Olympic Car Rental.
“This is the first time – ever – for me to plan my screening this way … to combine it with my sister’s culinary gifts … from two women entrepreneurs … for the community and for visitors alike,” Bermudez-Ruiz said.
This prestigious documentary film is narrated by actress Luna Lauren Velez of the Emmy award-winning TV show, “Dexter,” and “Across the Spider-Verse.”
The Red Carpet Gala event was originally screened at Government House on St. Croix several years ago. It tells the story of the will of the Puerto Rican families of Vieques and Culebra who survive, integrate and contribute to the economy, politics and community of the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Film Director/CEO/Lecturer Bermudez-Ruiz’s film legacy includes “Vieques: An Island Forging Futures,” “Solene,” and “Forgotten in Paradise.” Her current work is a groundbreaking feature film, “Silent Drift.”
Her academic film lectures span the colleges and universities in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, California and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Her work boasts its presence in national and international theaters and museums and she has received countless awards, nominations, grants and sponsorships.
Bermudez-Ruiz’s work experience as an educator and adjunct professor has been recognized nationally and internationally. She was honored by NYS Assemblyman Adam Clayton Powell IV with a Proclamation for preserving the culture and history of Vieques, PR, through her film, “Vieques: An Island Forging Futures.”
According to Bermudez-Ruiz, “We have a lot of community members and visitors who are not aware of our culture – the combination of solidarity, unity and the love of our islands – particularly, the Puerto Rican migration to the U.S. Virgin Islands, which has influenced the fabric of our everyday living.”
Bermudez-Ruiz pointed out that the migration began hundreds of years ago with her indigenous ancestors. She thought that this event would be a great way to bring people together to have some beautiful and exquisite food prepared by her sister, Crucian-Rican Chef Wanda Bermudez-Belardo, and her team. “Folks would see ‘Sugar Pathways’ and talk about our legacy, our community and enjoy the Sunday together,” she said.
Bermudez-Belardo will prepare a menu inspired by the documentary film’s featured cultural food, history and family. Guests will experience a three-course dinner of hors d’oeuvres, a main course, side dishes and desserts for the seafood lovers, meat eaters, and vegans paired with selective wines of red, white and bubbly for each course. Check out the chef’s famous roast pork!
The event is during the same weekend as the Agricultural Food Fair, noted Bermudez-Ruiz. “After being out at the Fair, I’m always looking for something else to do. I’m energized by seeing the vegetation, the offerings in the booths and the outreach from the nonprofit organizations. I’m thinking about where to go – to sit down – relax – and have something to eat. The screening is a welcoming opportunity for us to come together, watch a great cultural movie and have an engaging conversation.”
“This is a coming-together at a time when many of us are having anxieties around the issues of immigration. This documentary talks about migration and how communities come together,” Bermudez-Ruiz explained.
She shared, with the Source, some of the history she researched for her documentary and why the film is so relevant today:
The economy of Puerto Rico, Vieques, and Culebra was devastated by the American democratic system. With the American rule of Puerto Rico in the early days, there were many challenges, and the Great Depression in 1929 increased the difficulties for Puerto Ricans. There was a lot of poverty. During this time, many people from Puerto Rico, Vieques, and Culebra migrated to the U.S. Virgin Islands – mostly to St. Croix – looking for work.
The island of St. Croix became home for hundreds of people from Puerto Rico, Vieques, and Culebra during this time of immigration.
The film delves into the 1930s and 1940s and how the migration of these people overcame the issues and how they made great contributions to the V.I. economy as entrepreneurs, farmers, teachers, fishermen, senators, governors and judges. This was with love, solidarity, and commitment shared among the combined communities.
Bermudez-Ruiz invites those who have already seen “Sugar Pathways” to revisit it. “It is an excellent way to acknowledge our present concern for our Caribbean neighbors, our Latin American neighbors and our families here in the USVI. It is a good way to reflect on the positivity of coming together as our great-great grandparents did hundreds of years ago. There Is something to learn from the film about the survival tools and the mechanisms our ancestors used in some similar policies and issues that we have begun to experience in 2025.”
“Our ancestors came from nothing and worked hard, rolling up their sleeves in a time period when people did not have – that’s real. And they continued to find ways to pull each other up, hand-in-hand, with a series of policymaking, non-betrayals – more of a deep mission of making everyone’s life better.”
The tone of Bermudez-Ruiz’s voice was filled with emotion as she spoke, and the feelings of her heart were audible – as were the sounds of her tears of remembrance, the respect, the joy, the hope and the love for the ancestors as she said, “I think this is where the conversations will be leading to on February 16 … in memory of our ancestors.”
Attire: Island Chic (outdoor event)
Seating is limited
Tickets on sale: $160
No refunds after Feb. 3
Thank you to sponsors: Bread & Butter Wines, Fiji Water, CC1, The Virgin Islands Casino Control Commission, Virgin Islands Lottery, Cane Bay Films, WJKC Radio: Isle 95.
For more information and to purchase tickets:
cbfevents@canebayfilms.com
https://www.tickettailor.com/events/canebayfilms/1501701
Yolanda Prosser: 561-818-3308
