The Island President lifts the issue of global warming out of the theoretical and into the personal. The film follows former President Mohamed Nasheed as he attempts to prevent 385,000 people – the residents of his nation of 1,200 low-lying islands, the Maldives, from sinking into the Indian Ocean as sea levels rise due to global warming. Nasheed’s unprecedented contingency plan is to move his entire population to a new homeland. Climate change experts say that some of the islands will be submerged within 20 years, threatening the lives of the largely impoverished inhabitants as well as inundating the lavish resorts that dot the islands. The screening will be followed by a brief panel sharing experiences of climate impacts from other parts of the global south and the role of international financial institutions that meeting in Washington, D.C. this week in preventing or exacerbating the climate crisis. The panel will be followed by an opportunity for the audience to participate in the discussion.

Panelists: Janet Redman (Institute for Policy Studies), Titi Soentoro (Aksi – for Gender, Social and Ecological Justice, Indonesia), Shefali Sharma (Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy)

Sponsor: Institute for Policy Studies, Community Cinema [DC], ITVS, WHUT, Washington DC Jewish Community Center, Busboys and Poets, and Center for Social Media at American University

Making reservations is recommended.

Community Cinema is a free monthly screening series, featuring sneak peeks of films from the Emmy Award-winning PBS series Independent Lens. In over 65 cities nationwide, screenings are followed by lively panel discussions that bring together citizens, organizations and public television stations to encourage dialogue and action around important and timely social issues.

Community Cinema [DC] hosts screenings each month (from October to June) at Busboys and Poets and the Washington DC Jewish Community Center. ITVS also hosts special premieres and events in Washington, DC throughout the year. Click here for more information.