The Island President

Capturing the impassioned efforts of a reformist politician, this fly-on-the-wall documentary focuses on the work of Mohamed Nasheed—a former political prisoner turned elected president of the nation of Maldives—as he sets about trying to save his country of 1,200 small islands (just off the southwest tip of India) from the ravages of global climate change. While rising ocean levels in the 21st century remain a distant problem for most industrialized and developing countries, the crisis for Maldives is literally washing up on their shores, where the rapidly eroding low-lying islands are threatened with submergence in the Indian Ocean. This is the stark truth that Nasheed vigorously confronts after his 2008 election—replacing a brutal, 30-year dictatorship. Filmmaker Jon Shenk begins with a look back at Nasheed's rise as an advocate for democracy—arrested 12 times, tortured twice, and held in solitary confinement for 18 months—ultimately ascending to power and deciding to make climate change an essential priority for saving Maldives. Most of the film tracks Nasheed's long struggle to convince other developing nations to sign onto an agreement to lower carbon emissions, a difficult task that becomes more improbable as the world's superpowers get into the act at the 2009 climate change conference in Copenhagen. During the strategic meetings and arguments with other heads of state, Nasheed emerges as both a visionary and practical leader. DVD extras include an interview with Shenk. A powerful portrait of one man's extraordinary efforts to change the world, completed before Nasheed was sadly ousted in a coup d'état in early 2012, this is highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (T. Keogh)