Essential Islanders / In Exile
ESSENTIAL ISLANDERS tells the stories of climate change migrants from Micronesia during a global pandemic, explores notions of health equity, and illuminates the lasting impacts of American nuclear testing in the Pacific.
- Filmmaker(s)
- Nathan Fitch
- Angela Edward
- Category
- Full-Length Film
- Subject Matter
- History, Health, Diaspora
ESSENTIAL ISLANDERS is a short documentary exploring the experience of Micronesian migrants during the COVID-19 pandemic. While the impact of COVID-19 on communities of color has been widely documented, there is very little coverage of the effects it has had upon the Pacific Island community in the United States. ESSENTIAL ISLANDERS will shed light upon the human stories of Micronesians, many of whom have been working as essential workers during the pandemic. Despite paying taxes in the United States, these essential workers have been denied access to basic medical programs like medicare. These inequities at such a dire moment has led to a wave of activism among Micronesians, as a community battles for the benefits they believe they should be entitled to.
ESSENTIAL ISLANDERS is a recipient of Production funding from PIC's Media Fund.
Nathan Fitch - Director
Angela Edward - Producer
Social Media
Instagram: @nathanfitch @angela_whilander @formicronesiansbymicronesians
Hashtags: #Essentialislanders
Read/listen to this HPR Conversation: "Short film explores nuclear legacy through the lens of the Marshallese community"
Watch this episode of Fanachu!: "Media Representations of Micronesia with Filmmaker Nathan Fitch"
