We had the privilege of working on an extraordinary project for nearly two years about Tuvalu, a beautiful country in the middle of the Pacific. One of the world’s least-visited nations, the 11,000+ people who call it home live with the existential threat of rising sea levels. For them, it’s very much here and now.
The project’s main objective was to document Tuvalu’s environment, people, culture and heritage for preservation in a permanent archive and repository.
Here’s a short film we made for presentations at COP28 and the UN General Assembly. We have much more footage and a huge volume of photographs shot on film(!), which we’ll be able to share soon.
This project is dedicated to the people of Tuvalu and their incredible perseverance in confronting the climate crisis. For their guidance, stories and generosity, fakafetai lasi to His Excellency Mr. Kausea Natano, and The Honorable Mr. Seve Paeniu, Pepetua Latasi, Faatupu Simeti, Eleala Avanitele, Grace Malie, Kato Ewekia, Kalita Titi Homasi, Talua Nivaga, and everyone in Tuvalu who warmly welcomed us into their homes and community.
FEATURING H.E. Mr. Kausea Natano, Hon. Mr. Seve Paeniu, Grace Malie and Kato Ewekia
DIRECTED by Michael Kirby Smith
CINEMATOGRAPHY by Derek Sexton Horani & Michael Kirby Smith
PRODUCED by Jung Kim & Michael Kirby Smith
EXEC PRODUCER Jung Kim
AERIAL VIDEO by Josh Orter
GAFFER Derek Sexton Horani
EDITED by Tessa Malsam
COLORISTS Michael Macalincag & Cédric von Niederhäusern
MUSIC COMPOSED by William Ryan Fritch
SONG “E Funafuti, fai koe mou sei” performed live by Grace Malie & Kato Ewekia
#tuvalu #funafuti #themana #disappearingisland #climatecrisis #climatechange #motherearth #moreyouknow #urgentcall #unitednations #change #shortfilm #cop28 #unga #documentaryfilm #southpacificislands #michaelkirbysmith
Please come join @andrew__burton and I at an upcoming screening! We'd love to see you there. Dates below:
March 13: Newtok, AK - Newtok School
March 15: Mertarvik, AK - Mertarvik Evacuation Center
March 21: Toronto, Canada - Patagonia Store
March 22: New York, NY - Patagonia SoHo Store
March 23: Boston, MA - Patagonia Store
March 24: Burlington, VT - Merrill’s Roxy Cinema
March 31: Seattle, WA - Egyptian Theater
April 3: Lake Tahoe Region, CA - TBD
April 4: San Francisco, CA - Patagonia Store
April 5: Santa Cruz, CA - Patagonia Store
April 6: Santa Monica, CA - Patagonia Store
April 12: Denver, CO - Denver Film Society
April 13: Boulder, CO - Patagonia Store
April 19: Anchorage, AK - TBD
Orion Stewart holds up a sheet of melting ice at dawn.
Thank you to the community of Newtok for allowing us into your lives and for teaching us, helping us, and touching our hearts in endless and profound ways. Quyana.
Thank you to family, friends, and our entire team for making this film possible.
@andrew__burton and I are so excited to kick off the release of Newtok @docnycfest tonight! Please join us if you can.
Today is opening day of @docnycfest ! We can’t wait to share Newtok on the big screen. Thanks to the festival for all the work put into the innovative programming.
Pictured: Winter settles over the village of Newtok, AK, and the greater Yukon Kuskokwim Delta in January 2017. The village is only accessible by boat, plane, or snow machine, and the closest hub is approximately 100 miles away.
We couldn’t be more excited to premiere Newtok @docnycfest and have Della Carl join us for a Q&A with Marie Meade, our amazing producer. Meade is a Yup'ik scholar and tradition bearer and has family ties to the village of Keyaluvik, where the community of Newtok lived before government relocation in the early 50s. She has been instrumental in shaping the film. We’ll have a much longer post about her soon...Stay tuned!
Della Carl, who grew up in Newtok, is pictured above with her son William in the summer of 2019, our fourth year into the project. Please grab a ticket to one of our three in-person (!!) screenings. Link in bio.
It’s hard to see your dearest friends leave. We lived together for seven years, and he was home the day we brought Sylvie back from the hospital.
This frame is from last Thursday. Uncle YY took Sylvie on her first day of skating on the board he bought for her. Best wishes, amigo, and see you again soon!
