The Saint John Multicultural & Newcomers Resource Centre Inc.

Introducing Saint John to the world - through film

The small crowd in the cozy theatre buzzed with chatter about the American civil rights movement.

They had just finished watching the documentary We Shall Not Be Moved, shown as part of the Free Multicultural Film Series' salute to Black History Month at the Saint John Arts Centre.

"There was a really neat vibe in the room," says Nathan White. "Everyone who saw that film was amazed."

White is the community outreach officer for the Saint John Multicultural & Newcomers Resource Centre Inc., a year-old organization dedicated to welcoming new residents to Saint John and helping them integrate into the community.

The Film Series is part of the Resource Centre's community programming; its aim is to inform the audience about another culture while entertaining them too.

Next week, White hopes to hear the crowd buzzing about life in Greece as the Film Series marks Greek Independence Day with the film Nyfes (Brides), a love story about Greek brides forced to emigrate to America.

Dimitri Papadopoulos, a member of Saint John's Greek community, helped choose the movie and says he resisted the urge to pick Greek movies popularized by Hollywood such as My Big Fat Greek Wedding.

"We chose stories of love and community. They were chosen on their artistic merit, cultural accuracy, spirit and historical accuracy," Papadopoulos says.

Along with the film, the Resource Centre and the Saint John Arts Centre are teaming up to present John Papadopoulus' photographs from his recent trip to Greece throughout March. Rounding out Greek Independence celebrations is a dinner/dance hosted by the St. Nicholas Greek Community and the Greek Canadian Community of New Brunswick at the Delta Hotel in Saint John on Saturday, March 20 at 6 p.m.

The Saint John Multicultural & Newcomers Resource Centre Inc. opened its offices on the upper floor of the City Market Building in May 2009. The bustling non-profit organization offers many services, including employment counselling and English and French conversational classes.

The international film series runs every second Thursday at the Saint John Arts Centre at 20 Hazen Avenue. Nyfes (Brides) will be shown at 6:30 p.m. on March 25. April will feature movies from China while May will highlight Vietnamese films.s

To learn more about the Resource Centre's services , visit www.sjmnrc.ca

- Written by freelance journalist Kathy Kaufield for saintjohn225.com.

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