Introduction, film screening, and Q&A with Paul Goldsmith

Co-hosted by the Los Olivos Library.
Thursday, January 25, 7:30 p.m.
Santa Ynez Valley Grange.
2374 Alamo Pintado Avenue, Los Olivos.

Featured image of pinnipeds on San Nicolas Island by Sam Spaulding

Please join us in welcoming filmmaker Paul Goldsmith, who will introduce and screen his newest documentary, “The Lone Woman of San Nicolas Island.”  His work helps to unearth and clarify some of the mysteries surrounding the life of the Lone Woman of San Nicolas Island, made famous by author Scott O’Dell in his 1960 book, Island of the Blue Dolphins. Segments of the Lone Woman’s story are filmed on location, giving the audience rare views of San Nicolas Island—a U.S. military base with restricted access and perhaps the most remote of California’s Northern Channel Islands.  The film reveals how one person, a Native American woman christened Juana Maria, survived and lived for 18 years, alone, on the isolated island some 61 miles from the California coastline.  Mr. Goldsmith traces the elements of her amazing journey by following her sandy, wind-blown footprints, backtracking into the past, and reaching out to distant San Nicolas. Her story is inspirational and true.

Mr. Goldsmith is a member of the American Society of Cinematographers and has received a number of awards for his work as a director of photography. He has produced several television documentaries and worked as a cinematographer on collaborations that won Emmy, Peabody, and Oscar awards. He has produced work for PBS and National Geographic. Paul is married with four daughters and lives just outside Los Angeles, California.