A Saturday night crowd snuggled into their seats at Bajo El Sol Art Bar and Rum Room to see a sequel to the 2021 documentary Paradise Discovered: Unbreakable Virgin Islanders. The film’s creator said the Saturday screening marked the first public viewing of his latest documentary.
About three dozen people had a chance to see Paradise Discovered: Unbreakable Virgin Islanders 2. The first film covered the interdependent lifestyle on St. Thomas after the passage of hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017. A review appearing on TV Guide.com said, “When nature and the rest of the world left them in darkness, they gave each other light.”
In the sequel, St. Thomas journalist and filmmaker Peter Bailey asked questions about how well the customs Virgin Islanders use to help each other cope with disaster and endure the test of time. Over the course of 90 minutes, more than a dozen friends, neighbors and government officials share their stories.
Bailey describes himself as a modern-day storyteller, as a writer, interviewer, talk show host, and document producer. As he ventured from newspaper and magazine writing to Night Cap — the talk show — Bailey engaged V.I. youth by bringing his interview subject to them as their audience.
“I saw the inclusivity of different people and their idea of what a Virgin Islander is,” he said.
When Unbreakable 2 emerged from production in its final form, Bailey said he returned to the youth to present his work in November. Saturday marked the first time a general audience saw this latest work before it is released for general distribution.
And although when the lights went down in the gallery with the filmmaker in the midst of his viewers, he said he went outside as the images flickered on the screen.
“When the creative artist is in the room, I don’t think (the viewers) are as authentic in their reaction. I was out of the room,” he said. Once outside, he said he peered through the gallery windows.
Everyone remained in place, watching the film, barely moving. “And that’s what happened to the students, too,” he said.
Bailey called it a positive reaction. There will be more pre-release screenings of Unbreakable 2 to come, he said; an important marketing step for documentaries by building a soft audience and, hopefully, some pre-release buzz.
Doing so worked well for Unbreakable 1, he said. The film now appears on the major free streaming platform Tubi and has made it onto other streaming services. Now, the post-storm documentary is on its way to Trinidad for its first appearance at the University of the West Indies.
As a Caribbean regional filmmaker, Bailey said he wants people to see the Virgin Islands as a source of media excellence. He also said he wants to inspire other Virgin Islanders to see themselves in that role.
