The Problem
Kiribati – Changing Climate
Short UN documentary on Kiribati
We stand at a cross roads where oral culture and electrate (digitally literate) culture are about to cross paths – and we believe they have a lot in common and a lot to share. Very rarely does a project come along that is positioned to take an in depth look at a complicated global problem that impacts all of humanity. THE POINT OF NO RETURN is one of those projects. The filmmakers recognize that the impact of climate change in Kiribati is not something abstract that may happen the future, it is happening right now. Due to the immediacy surrounding the issue, the filmmakers are seeking to being production in the Spring of 2010.
The critically acclaimed and award winning film Hoop Dreams is a prime example of what can be captured if a filmmaking team and its producers are proactive, passionate and willing to fully immerse themselves in the documentary process.
Diaspora (when a culturally specific group is scattered due to migration) isn’t a new phenomenon. Throughout recorded history, many cultural groups have been forced or scattered, or migrated away from a central place. But forced migration due to the changing climate is a first in modern times. What happens to the stories that have been shared for generations? What happens to ritual, performance and other cultural practices that are passed down from father to son, mother to daughter?
In an age where the technological revolution threatens to leave the worlds poor in the dust, what would happen if these things could be documented and shared with the world? What would happen if you put a camera in the hands of a 12 year old I-Kiribati girl and asked her to take photos and videos of those things that are important to her? What about her grandfather? What stories would he tell? And what of the family that was relocated to Auckland New Zealand? What will their experience yield? In what ways will they assimilate and what will they do to keep in touch with their community? These are the questions THE POINT OF NO RETURN seeks to examine over the next year in Kiribati.
THE POINT OF NO RETURN has the same goal: To follow select individuals as they tell a personalized story of one of the smallest nations on earth as they start life anew in the face of the rising tide. It is estimated that production will last approximately 1 year. Post-production will be ongoing during that time and will last approximately 12 months from the first day of production.
For More Information
http://www.un.org/ga/63/generaldebate/kiribati.shtml
http://www.neaq.org/about_us/news_and_media/press_releases/president_of_kiribati.htm
http://www.abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=3002001&page=1
http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/449/index.html
http://www.un.org/ga/63/generaldebate/pdf/kiribati_en.pdf
http://e360.yale.edu/content/feature.msp?id=2210
http://www.theage.com.au/world/in-kiribati-a-way-of-life-is-being-washed-away-20091120-iqy7.html