Impact Days Catalogue
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By Julie Lunde Lillesæter and Julia Dahr

Stayers

IMPACT DAYS

On Tangier Island in Virginia, Mayor Ooker and his tight-knit community fight for a sea wall to save their island from disappearing into the sea within the next 20-30 years – or as soon as the next big storm hits. Many islanders do not believe climate change is caused by humans, and are deeply skeptical of climate advocates. But they still befriend three filmmakers who believe in climate change when they show up on the island. At a time of increasing polarization, the film explores topics such as why we feel so provoked by people who disagree with us. Buoyed by a hope for dialogue over debate, the film explores what it takes to listen and create meaningful conversations across ideological and cultural divides. Turns out, it’s harder than we think, but hearteningly possible. Stayers sparks self-reflective journeys on different sides of the climate conversation, inviting audiences to reimagine how we might listen to–and truly hear–each other across gulfs of polarization and fear.

Sections : Impact Days, Impact Days
Country : United States
Original language : English
Directors
Julie Lunde Lillesæter
Julia Dahr (Norway)
Producers
Julia Dahr (Norway)
Natalya Sarch (Norway)
Differ Media
Duration
80’
Completion
December 2023
Impact Statement
Those who believe climate science and vote accordingly, frequently presume they should set the agenda. However, coastal communities like Tangier Island are on the frontlines of the issue, regardless of their views on what causes it. Climate organizations, liberal politicians, and us filmmakers included, have typically been quick to write off people who don’t believe the science, communities that are often skewed right, white, Christian, working-class, and rural. What are we missing out on by not engaging with these communities? Research shows that approaching climate issues through values, rather than science, can create less polarized conversations. With STAYERS, we aim to move the ways we communicate about climate forward, and find alternatives to polarization.
In a search for alternatives to polarization, STAYERS aims to find new ways of communicating across the divide that can ultimately support climate progress - radically reimagining climate progress & the basis for democracy.
Impact Goals
  1. Create spaces for genuine dialogue in the climate debate to reach across the aisles and search for common ground.
  2. Contribute to depolarization and reimagining the basis for democracy.
  3. Inspire and support people, politicians, powerful influencers who care about climate change to explore more value-based and dialogue-based ways of communicating about our climate crisis, creating a more inclusive climate movement where more people are united
    4. around climate solutions.
  4. Strengthen Tangier Island and other vulnerable shoreline communities in their efforts to build climate resilience and imagine their futures.
Impact Strategy
  • Facilitate meaningful conversation spaces for people with opposing climate opinions (through faith perspectives e.g.).
  • Facilitate, record and widely distribute meaningful conversations between famous people with different climate views.
  • Challenge and train media on how to cover climate stories in a less polarizing manner through more value-based and dialogue-oriented approaches.
  • Create toolkit for value-based climate communication shared with the climate movement.
  • Create arenas where climate NGOs watch the film and take part in workshop/get guidance on how to shift to a more inclusive and efficient climate communication.
  • Amplify vulnerable shoreline communities’ voices in their call for political and financial support to strengthen community climate resilience initiatives.
  • Policy support & funding for climate adaptation initiatives to save Tangier Island (including waterbird habitat) and community (culture, history, tradition).
Contact
Primary contact
Julia Dahr (Norway): julia.dahr@differmedia.no
Participant present at the Impact Days
Natalya Sarch (Norway)

Norwegian Film Institute
Viken Filmsenter
Fritt Ord
Bergesenstiftelsen
Norwegian Arts
Council
The Rogovy Foundation
Gusto Moving Pictures
Together Films

Norwegian Film Institute
Viken Filmsenter
Fritt Ord
Bergesenstiftelsen
Norwegian Arts
Council
The Rogovy Foundation
Gusto Moving Pictures
Together Films