Shooting the Viliui Sakha Expedition for the Documentary Moving Day

Ironbound Films, Inc., Garrison NY

Investigators

Abstract

The International Organization Migration (IOM)2008 Report on Migration and Climate Change notes that current estimates predict that by mid-century climate change will force between "25 million to 1 billion" people from their homes. A report released in June 2009 by the US Global Change Research Group describes the situation at home in Alaska: "The ground beneath several native communities is literally crumbling into the sea, forcing residents to confront difficult and expensive choices between relocation and engineering strategies." Indigenous people who live in some of the planet's most affected regions are on the precipice of the crisis. The Viliui Sakha expedition in Northeast Siberia occurs July 2010. Anthropologist Susan Crate and environmental scientist Alexander Fedorov are returning to Viliui Sakha villages to exchange with the Sakhas, an indigenous people of Siberia, the results of three years of research on climate change and adaptation strategies. The Sakhas' environment is transforming so quickly that such an expedition must happen now and will not happen again. NSF funds will enable Ironbound Films to shoot the Viliui Sakha expedition for "Moving Day," a documentary for theatrical release and television and internet broadcast. "Moving Day" educates general audiences, particularly of high school and college age; scientists; and indigenous communities about the greatest human consequence of global climate change: environmental migration. In addition to forming a critical part of the "Moving Day" documentary, footage from the Viliui Sakha expedition will be used to create a short standalone video, which will be used to: - Advance the field. The video will be made available for scientists to teach, train, and use as a guide on similar expeditions. - Inform indigenous communities. It will help explain how and why scientists work with communities; how other communities are adapting; and how the results of such work are being used to educate general audiences about climate change. - Raise visibility. The video will be posted on both popular online video platforms and the "Moving Day" website to raise awareness for the documentary and subject matter.