Pacific Island documentary: The Hungry Tide screening free online through March 3

Worth watching and sharing this week is the Australian-made film The Hungry Tide, available free online for viewing through March 3.  The Hungry Tide chronicles the story of Maria Tiimon, from Kiribati, who advocates for island communities in Australia and in the international policy arena.

As a group of low-lying atolls, Kiribati is extremely vulnerable to sea-level rise, and it may become uninhabitable in the next century.  Climate change affects the 105,000 people who live in Kiribati at 2 meters above sea level.  This film looks at Maria’s experience as a Pacific Islander speaking on behalf of her community at international climate policy negotiations convened by the United Nations.

Free viewings of the film are offered in conjunction with the Warrior Day of Action—a day when Pacific Islanders from across 15 nations and territories will come together and perform war challenges, songs, and dances to signify that they will fight to protect their land, their existence, and their identity from rising sea levels.