The Pacific Climate Change Film Festival marks the culmination
of the Pacific Climate Change Film
Project - an innovative
partnership between SPREP and the British
High
Commission,Suva to share inspiring stories
about how Pacific communities are responding to the impacts of climate
change.
The event is the first climate change-related film
festival to be held in the Pacific Islands. Events are
sheduled for 23-24 September at various locations in
Suva, Fiji. Screenings of films will be arranged in
many Pacific island countries following the Fesitval
itself.
The first promotional video for the Climate Change
Film Festival. Click image above to view.
The Films
Cook Islands
Kia Vai Teateamamao (Be Prepared):
Traditional climate forecasting in the Cook Islands
Cook Islands National Environment Service
Maori Kuki 'Airani/English, 2005, 28:00
This documentary examines some traditional methods of
forecasting extreme changes in weather and explains
how Cook Islanders have prepared for these changes.
Federated States of Micronesia
Pohnpei experiences global warming
Conservation Society of Pohnpei.
English/Pohnpeian, 2008,13:26
Tells the story of unexpected sea level rise and its
impact on the lives of the people of Pohnpei. Though
Pohnpei is a mountainous island, the majority of its
citizens live in the coastal area and have experienced
unexpected sea level rise several times in the first
months of 2008. As low-lying atolls, the five outer islands
of Pohnpei State are particularly vulnerable to any change
in sea levels. The film examines ways in which the Conservation
Society of Pohnpei, a local NGO, and the Pohnpeian people
are responding to this growing threat.
Samoa
O le
uto ma le Maene: Climate change impacts in Samoa
“E le laa le uto I le maene, pe sopo a’e
le tai I le eleele” (the float does not usurp the
sinker, nor can the sea encroach on the land) is a verse
from a traditional song of the Gataula, a singing group
from Asau, Savaii. The song is about the boundaries that
exist in the natural and human worlds, boundaries that
have been established through the ages to maintain harmony
among people and in the environment that sustains them.
But these boundaries are collapsing and, as witnessed
today, the sea is encroaching on the land.
Coral currency takes a dive: Samoan
tourism in a warming world
Holly Pepper, Julia Scott-Stevenson,
Ed Langham and Anna Gero
Samoan/English, 2008,14:33
Pristine beaches, swaying coconut palms, turquoise
waters: the images of Samoa that are conjured in the minds of
people the world over. Samoa relies on its natural
beauty to attract visitors from overseas, and these visitors
are vital to the country’s economy. But climate
change has the potential to greatly impact on the natural
environment, the very thing that is so important to the
functioning of the tourism industry. This documentary
examines those potential impacts, and the effects they
may have on the livelihoods of the Samoan people.
Tuvalu
Sinking rights
Fiji Human Rights Commission
Tuvaluan/English,
2007, 34:26
Sinking rights focuses on Tuvalu – a small atoll
island state in the Pacific. Warm and welcoming, the
Tuvaluan people talk about their fears as they feel the
brunt of severe weather conditions, coastal erosions,
depleting crops and the slow death of the Tuvaluan way
of life. As the island nations come to grips with the
adverse impacts of climate change, its people are starting
to question – is there a “right to environment?”
Kiribati
Kiribati and global warming
Nei Tabera Ni Kai
te taetae ni Kiribati/English, 2008, 15:59
As a nation comprised entirely of low-lying atolls,
Kiribati will bear the brunt of sea level rise resulting
from climate change. This unique film looks at ways in
which the country and its people are preparing for the
challenge, drawing on a rich tradition of overcoming
challenges.
Vanuatu
Global Warming:
Who’s Responsible?
Live and Learn Environmental Education
Vanuatu: Pigin/English, 2008, 15:41
One of the more innovative films at the festival, the
entry from Vanuatu uses a variety of techniques such
as dramatisations and animations to examine the impact
of climate change on the country, in particularly its
vulnerable outer islands. It also offers a number of
constructive solutions for reducing the island's carbon
imprint and preparing for the adverse effects of climate
change.
Climate change and the Pacific
Pacific island countries
are among the most vulnerable nations in the world
to the impacts of extreme weather
events. Climate change will radically alter the
social, economic and environmental fabric of Pacific
communities.
The challenge faced by Pacific island countries is
how to engage people in the issue of climate change;
to encourage not only a greater understanding of the
issue, but to incite action. The challenge is also
how to draw on the strengths of Pacific communities
to adapt to climate variability and change.
Click here for more information on SPREP’s
climate change programme
For more information, contact:
Stuart Chape
Programme Manager - Island Ecosystems stuartc@sprep.org
The Climate Change Film Festival
is a not-for-profit intiative coordinated by SPREP
with support from the IUCN Oceania Office and with
funding provided by the British High Commission,
Suva, Fiji.
Dates
and Venue
23-24 September
Suva, Fiji
Preliminary
Schedule
The festival schedule is
currently being finalised and will be posted
here in the coming days, as well as more information
on the films and filmmakers.
