Time and Tide
Documentary (60 min.)

The film takes an unflinching look at the tragic fate of this remote island country of Tuvalu, walking the line between hope and unimaginable loss. With an artfully woven tapestry that confronts these profound global issues, Time and Tide paints an honest and poignant portrait of a homeland on the brink of extinction. The story is told through the eyes of a group of expatriates from the tiny island nation of Tuvalu.

Most of them have been away from Tuvalu for many years. Now they travel across the ocean to their home island of Funafuti. On their way they reminisce about the Tuvalu enshrined in their memories and eagerly anticipate arriving in their beloved homeland. But they are not prepared for the Tuvalu that awaits them. Upon returning they find a place vastly different from the one they remember. A multi-million dollar deal with a US-based internet company has brought new development, altering the landscape and bringing flocks of foreigners to the capital. As the locals and expats both struggle to cope with the dramatic effects of globalization on Tuvaluan culture, an even greater threat looms on the horizon.

Driven by global warming, a steadily rising sea level is stealing their precious and already limited land. By some estimates, the island will be claimed by the sea within the next fourty-five years and its inhabitants counted amoung the planet's first environmental refugees.