RISING WATERS
Global Warming and the Fate of the Pacific Islands
Twenty-five years after Pacific Islanders warned the world about the first signs of climate change, Rising Waters 25th Anniversary revisits the frontlines as a new generation of activists fights for climate justice, resilience, and survival.
The film interweaves personal stories from Fiji, Samoa, the Marshalls and Kiribati, as well as the island of Manhattan, and highlights how the climate story has evolved over the past 25 years, and points towards some hope.
Featuring: Bill McKibben, Steve Schneider, Durwood Zaelke, Penehuro Lefale and Pacific Island Students Fighting Climate Change, as well as policymakers and scientists from around the world.
Produced by award-winning filmmaker Andrea Torrice.
Filmmaker Andrea Torrice with team
About the 25th Anniversary Film
First airing nationally on Earth Day 2001, Rising Waters was among the earliest films to examine the climate crisis through the lived experiences of Pacific Island communities. At a time when global warming was still widely debated, the documentary offered a prescient and deeply human account of island nations already confronting rising seas, intensifying storms, drought, and the threat of displacement.
Since its release, Rising Waters has received 14 major awards and aired nationally on PBS and internationally on National Geographic World, reaching audiences in more than 110 countries. The film has been screened for policymakers and global leaders, including at a special session of the United Nations General Assembly and during a U.S. Congressional hearing on energy policy.
In Rising Waters 25th Anniversary Update and Epilogue the filmmaker revisits the story and asks: what has changed? Some people from the original film, as well as new characters respond, offering new observations, warnings, but also glimmers of hope.
About the Filmmaker
Andrea Torrice is an award-winning independent filmmaker whose work focuses on a range of contemporary issues: climate justice, civil rights, the arts and global sustainability. Her documentaries have aired nationally on PBS and internationally on National Geographic World, reaching audiences in more than 110 countries.
Her work has been screened in festivals, museums, universities, non profits, conferences, and for policymakers and government leaders around the world.
For more information visit: torricemedia.com
Dr. Vivien Gornitz showing students the projected NYC sea level 2100
Special Thanks
This film was made possible by the support of Independent Television Service, Pacific Islanders in Communications, Corporation For Public Broadcasting, the Environmental Verification and Analysis Center at the University of Oklahoma, and is sponsored by Wild Projects.
Additionally, we thank all individual donors.
