A PARADISE STOLEN. Life in Pinnacle, Jamaica is a stunning account of childhood in Jamaica’s first Rastafari community. Leonard Howell, known as ‘The First Rasta’, became the first Black man to purchase a land in 1939 with the acquisition of over 500 acres in the parish of St. Catherine. The settlement was called Pinnacle, and within its borders Howell created a free, self-reliant community of like-minded followers. In A PARADISE STOLEN, Leonard Howell’s children, Monty and Bill ‘Blade’ Howell, recall their enchanted life in Pinnacle and reflect on the values of their father’s teachings. Vibrant, free, and deeply affecting, A PARADISE STOLEN is the only documentary to explore the lives of Monty and Bill ‘Blade’ Howell and the community of Pinnacle. Monty and Bill Howell provide a gripping testimonial of the love, unity, and peace in the community that shaped the course of their lives. As the children of Pinnacle’s f founder, Monty and Bill spent sixteen years (1940-1966) living in this utterly unique Rastafari oasis. The people of Pinnacle lived without crime, violence, and simply, as Bill so aptly stated, “looked out for each other.” Although Monty, Bill, and others in the community led peaceful lives, Pinnacle was burned to the ground by British establishment forces in 1958. A PARADISE STOLEN’ s journey into the life and eventual death of Pinnacle serves as a reminder of the horrors those who dare to challenge the Establishment often face. In spite of Leonard Howell, his children, and his many followers led peaceful lives, they were ultimately destroyed by their own nation. A PARADISE STOLEN commemorates the loss of a village and the creation of a lifestyle: while the physical remnants of Pinnacle are gone, Leonard Howell’s Rastafari movement continues to impact culture on a global scale to this day. Though Rasta culture is as visible as ever, this documentary allows Bill and Monty to preserve the distinct legacy of their fathers work and the village that reared them. Their candid, stirring stories are poignant historical artifacts; successfully capturing the diverse past of Pinnacle from both a historical and personal perspective. An indispensable piece of Jamaican and global history now immortalized on film, A PARADISE STOLEN reflects on the joyful moments in Pinnacle.