Still think global warming is a myth? Try telling that to the people of the Maldives. For them, the threat posed by climate change is not the stuff of imaginary sci-fi scenarios like Waterworld, The Day After Tomorrow or 2012. The natives face the very real possibility that within the space of a few years both they and their (strikingly beautiful) 200 or so inhabited islands could be submerged by the sea.
This documentary follows the president of the Maldives, President Mohamed “Anni Nasheed in the run up to the 2009 Copenhagen Climate Summit. Having a head of state as the main point of human interest might seem an odd choice for any film, but in fact the English-educated Nasheed is a very likeable and watchable figure. Watching him resort to a range of publicity stunts (such as staging a cabinet meeting underwater) in order to get his point across is at times both funny and heartbreaking. For Nasheed, the approaching summit is not just an opportunity for good PR but a key stage in a battle for survival. Asked what options he will face if a deal is not reached, Nasheed is only too clear: “There are no other options. We will die.
The opening scenes of the film detailing how Nasheed wrested power after 30 years of tyranny from his malevolent predecessor Maumood Abdul Gayeem would probably be sufficient material for a film themselves. Nasheed’s accounts of his own experiences under torture (“You can still have a schedule for the day, even when you can’t move) are extremely powerful.
Amazingly, the struggle for power was achieved even with the massive disruption of the Boxing Day Tsunami occurring midway through. Barely had Nasheed’s victory celebrations ended, however, when the stark reality of the Maldives’ precarious situation became apparent.
The seas already look remarkably high against the islands’ coastlines. Nasheed actually fell from power in February 2012 but the struggle continues. Without wishing to sound too much like Al Gore, it’s probably in all of our interests that the Maldives doesn’t become the 21st century version of Atlantis. For as Nasheem himself says shortly before a visit to the British Parliament: “If you can’t defend the Maldives today you can’t defend England tomorrow.
Overall Verdict: A climate change documentary that avoids being either hectoring or boring. No man is an island, indeed.
Reviewer: Chris Hallam
A major nationwide screening event of The Island President is set to take place on April 3rd up and down the country. You can find out where it’s showing then at http://theislandpresident.co.uk/screenings, which also offters info about other screenings too.