Dear Friends,

As many of you know, we’ve been producing a film about the relocation of the Carteret Islanders, known as some of the world’s first climate change refugees.

The Carteret Islanders stand at the front lines of climate change. Small island communities like the Carterets have contributed very little to global warming, but they’re suffering the devastating consequences right now. Rising seas contaminate their fresh water and gardening land, erode shorelines and climate change contributes to severe and unpredictable weather. As their beloved homeland disappears into the sea, the islanders fear they will lose their close-knit community, culture, and ancestral past.

Sun Come Up follows a group of young families from the Carteret Islands in search of new homes on Bougainville, a mountainous island 50 miles away. Plans are underway for them to leave, but the move will not be easy as Bougainville itself is recovering from a brutal 10-year civil war. Our film shows the human side of climate change and the difficulties in relocating whole communities. Though the islanders face tragic circumstances, it isn't a familiar third world narrative about a downtrodden poor people. Sun Come Up shows the islanders forging ahead in the face of adversity to determine their own fate.

Climate change and migration are important issues no matter where you live as human rights organizations predict that climate change could displace up to 250 million people by mid-century. World leaders will meet in Copenhagen on December 7th to negotiate a new global treaty on climate change. Yet all signs point toward a delayed deal. We’re racing to finish the film so that it can be used to educate the public and to show the international community that vulnerable communities, like the Carteret Islands, need support for relocation and adaptation.

As we approach the end of this journey, we would love your help in finishing the film. Our plan is to pre-sell 560 DVDs for $25 (for a total of $14,000) to cover our editing for two more months. (Please note that we will send the DVDs when they are available for release. This could take up to several months after the project is completed). Of course, larger donations will help us meet our goal faster and are greatly appreciated! We would be most grateful if you would help to support our project and to spread the word.

We will post regular media and updates on the film and the campaign. Please check back often.
With heartfelt thanks,

Jennifer & Tim

A tax-deductible contribution to the project can also be made through our fiscal sponsor Women Make Movies: http://www.wmm.com/filmmakers/sponsored_projects.aspx...

Here is some press about the project and the Carteret’s community:
New York Times
World Changing
Treehugger
Daily Green
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