John and Janet Pierson, Reel Paradise

Often called "the guru of the independent film movement," John Pierson became a player on the indie scene when he and his wife Janet - whom he met when they both worked at Film Forum, Manhattan's shrine to independent cinema - invested their life savings of $10,000 to help Spike Lee complete his debut feature, She's Gotta Have It. But after years of helping to discover and launch independent filmmakers, the Piersons left the scene for Fiji where, along with their two children, they lived for a year and operated a free cinema that was supported in part by friends like Kevin Smith. A video crew headed by director Steve James (Hoop Dreams) documented their experiences, including a collision with the local Catholic priests, a burglary and John's bout with dengue fever, and turned it into Reel Paradise.

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