The Island President Movie Guide - New Netflix Documentary on Climate Change

This is a movie guide with questions that require students to not just identify details of the movie, but also reflect, predict, and challenge their current understanding of the political challenges of climate change.

This award-winning documentary is available on Netflix and has received praise for its candid exposure of the challenges faced by political leaders in tackling this global problem of climate change. Regardless of whether my students believe climate change is a real issue or not, they are exposed to the conflict that leaders must deal with in reaching a solution that all can believe in. I have had incredible student discussions as a result of this film and I believe it supports student in having a more holistic point of view of a real-world challenge that will surely be something their generation will be forced to deal with.

A description of the film, according to its makers:
"Jon Shenk’s The Island President is the story of President Mohamed Nasheed of the Maldives, a man confronting a problem greater than any other world leader has ever faced—the literal survival of his country and everyone in it. After bringing democracy to the Maldives after thirty years of despotic rule, Nasheed is now faced with an even greater challenge: as one of the most low-lying countries in the world, a rise of three feet in sea level would submerge the 1200 islands of the Maldives enough to make them uninhabitable."