Beautiful Islands

The most important theme of this movie is the lives of people, which are deeply rooted in the surrounding nature, traditions and cultures. What you see in the film are islands vanishing by climate change.

Tuvalu in the South Pacific is a peaceful island, embraced by the boundless blue ocean. Palm trees and fishing are the mainstays of the people’s lives and the island is full of children’s smiles. Through their self-sustained lifestyle, people have cultivated strong bonds among themselves.

Venice is an island which is home to one of the most famous World Heritage sites in Europe. Plaza San Marco, in the center of the city, brings you back to the Middle Age with its glorious atmosphere. The masquerade, gondolas and Venetian glass – the Venetian culture and traditions are full of charm that attracts people from all over the world.

Shishmaref in Alaska is an island of the indigenous people who have survived the harsh, but beautiful, land of snow and ice. On the ice fields, our cameras follow the people who are faced with a difficult choice. Due to the drastic change of weather that stems from the global climate change, all the inhabitants have decided to move out of the island. The people had no choice but to give up their homeland.

Through the disappearing beauty of these three islands, the film makes you feel the reality experienced by the people affected by climate change.

“Breathtaking, captivating and inspirational. It's a non-preachy, vital wake-up call for all of mankind.” (Avi Offer, NYC Movie Guru)

“An extraordinarily eloquent synthesis of imagery and urgency, docu triptych "Beautiful Islands" captures three places in imminent danger of going under -- literally. Constructing her narration-less, score-free rebuke of global-warming deniers, Japanese helmer Tomoko Kana travels to the city of Venice, the South Pacific nation of Tuvalu and the island outpost of Shishmaref, Alaska -- the coal-mine canaries of climate change -- to witness the world's rising waters gradually swallowing them whole.” (John Anderson, Variety)