September 18, 2015 (Jackson, Miss.)- Edward Saint Pe' '99 generously donated a 450-film library to Belhaven theatre students, giving the department a valuable teaching tool.
“I hope that the library will inspire a new generation of young artists coming through Belhaven University for many years to come,” said Saint Pe'. “I feel that there is no greater use of the films going forward than to put them to use as a learning tool for the young artists coming through the University, many of which I know will develop into the great artists whose work we will see on the screen in the future.”
Dr. Elissa Sartwell, Chair of Theatre Department, expressed her excitement upon receiving the extensive collection of film. “This generous gift contains a number of truly important films, including Birth of a Nation, Charlie Chaplin's The Immigrant and other movies like Street Scene. Our department faculty are looking forward to incorporating some of these motion pictures into our theatre and film classes.”
Saint Pe's film collection has been digitized for ease of use. The diversity of the film library provides students with a valuable resource of study and is something that he is happy to be sharing with the aspiring artists of Belhaven. “Much collaboration, brainpower and raw talent went into the making of each film. Watching and studying it can help the students get a feel of what canbe done and what they can do themselves in their own films.”
Edward Saint Pe' is the founder of WeatherVision, the nation's first TV Weather-cast syndication service. He has worked as an on air meteorologist for over two decades and is the Broadcast Meteorology Professor at Jackson State University. He is the Founder and Director of the Mississippi International Film Festival, which hosts films from around the world and has hosted Danny Glover and Lance Bass at recent festivals. Saint Pe' is an actor, writer and director. His films have screened in Rio, Berlin and other festivals around the world.