The tiny island nation of Maldives is rapidly vanishing thanks to rising sea levels, and its leader-now ex-leader-Mohamed Nasheed is doing everything he can to coerce the world's superpowers to do something about it. That's the story behind Jon Shenk's documentary, The Island President. It's a David vs. Goliath tale of epic proportions and of colossal importance. But something gets lost in translation from the real world to the screen. There isn't a story out there more worthy of documentary treatment than The Island President; The mainstream press is much more interested in shit American politicians say than actual global crises. But Shenk manages to strip Nasheed's struggle to save his nation and its people of any and all cinematic qualities. There's no suspense, no real narrative arc, no character identification-nothing. One of the main problems is that the film is essentially a two-hour interview with one man, and no matter how noble he and his cause are, he remains a politician at heart. He's just a little too polished to come across as genuine, and maybe that's my predisposition to distrusting politicians creeping in, but if you compare this film to a documentary like Exit Through the Gift Shop (or even something minor like Morgan Spurlock's Comic-Con doc), there's very little that feels off-the-cuff. Though Nasheed is clearly speaking from the heart, his sense of urgency doesn't come through. You can't blame an interview subject for a bad interview, however. Shenk should have poked and prodded. In lieu of that, it's his job to punch the film up with some directorial flare, but everything in The Island President feels flat. It's a film that I suspected would be right up my alley. I'm a big politics buff, and the environment is probably the issue I feel most passionately about. But The Island President is a sleepy film that can't hide behind its earnestness for long. It wasn't but 30 minutes before I started checking my watch, and nothing that happened after that point stopped my slide toward dissatisfaction. http://www.johnlikesmovies.com/island-president/

Try telling this guy climate change isn't real! I dare you! Enlightening and depressing.

I liked to see this documentary looking at one man trying to deliver on a promise to his people to others to care/change global policies that will help curtail global warming issues. Touching and tragic.

We blame China for being the biggest contributeur of CO2, but why are they where they are today to begin with? There are some people whose lives are at stake because of our need of endless consumption.

this man is very passionate about the climate change cause and you really want him to succede

"An absorbing portrait of a man trying to turn a tide of indifference." Nasheed brought democracy to the Maldives for the first time in 2008. He made world headlines by having a meeting underwater and winning a symbolic political victory in Copenhagen. Before his term was up he was forced from office, now the dictator's party is back in power. "Shenk would have been better off spending time with the people at risk of flooding rather than filming the diplomats in their suits at the Copenhagen Climate Summit."

Definitely worth seeing. It's ashamed no one listened to him before and he's exiled now.

Awesome story, but I wished they'd subtitle the cabinet meetings.

While watching this I thought: This must be similar to the overwhelming adrenaline and emotion that some people seem to get out of watching professional sports.

great movie I enjoyed it

This an incredibly fascinating and, quite frankly, inspiring documentary about President Mohamed Nasheed's battle to bring to the Maldive Islands' struggle with rising sea tides thanks to climate change to the largest amount of people as is humanly possible so he can get the help he needs. The Maldive Islands' has an average ground level of 5 feet over sea level, making it the planet's lowest country. So Nasheed's struggle really is for the survival of his people and his country if climate change continues the way it is and his journey to the Copenhagen Climate Summit in 2009 in order to get as many countries as possible to diminish carbon emissions so that Maldives can get the help it needs. What's really interesting about the documentary is everything leading to Nasheed's mission, the Maldive Islands' were ruled over by a dictator for 30 years and it shows you how Nasheed led the charge to introduce democracy. Perhaps it wasn't just Nasheed on his own, but he was certainly an important figure in it finally forcing Gayoom, the dictator, to allow fair and free elections. I literally had no idea about any of this and it really is fascinating seeing how Nasheed goes from a political prisoner to the President of the country. Which brings us to President Nasheed. What this man is trying to accomplish, especially when so much of the world completely denies that climate change is real and think it's a conspiracy by scientists, which is idiocy if you ask me, is really inspiring. President Nasheed is an incredibly likable man and his desperation to do right by his country when he most needs it makes it very easy to relate to him. It really is a David and Goliath story, much like Crude, but Nasheed refuses to give up as he knows it would be the end of his people, perhaps not right at the moment but in the very near future, and that makes him a sympathetic figure and you wish that his words end up reaching everyone and countries end up making a concerted effort to lower carbon emissions, even if you know it is unrealistic to expect that they all will. I do think that the film sort of peaked before the Copenhagen Summit, the negotiations simply don't have the same power as seeing Nasheed hold the first underwater cabinet meeting, and let me tell you that this is a great idea to bring the spotlight on climate change, and everything else leading up to that. But it still is really fascinating seeing the negotiations take place and seeing how things, at first, may not have been going Nasheed's way. At the end of the summit, he didn't get exactly everything he wanted but it was a victory for his people and while it wasn't perfect, his mission was a huge accomplishment. Even if i had some issues with the political stuff at the Summit, this is still a top-notch and completely eye-opening documentary that must be seen.

The Island President is an inspirational journey about how the president of Maldives tried to convince the world to reduce carbon emissions in the 2012 Copenhagen Environmental summit. His alternative was to see his island nation be submerged by the effects of global warming. While the Maldives are far away in the Indian Ocean, sea levels rising affects major cities all over the world. It's a story of climate change, international politics, and fighting despite the odds.

Never really cared about Global warming until I saw this Docu.

An important movie ... It is time to wake up.

The Island President documentary film produced by Actual Films, based in San Francisco, and directed by Jon Shenk. The film won Cadillac People's Choice Documentary Award at Toronto International Film Festival. The documentary follows the former President Mohamed Nasheed of Republic of the Maldives, as he faces the country that has just come out of the grip from despot dictator Abdul Gayoom under fair elections which brought Nasheed as new president, Nasheed struggles to persuade global powers at upcoming Copenhagen Summit on global warming to reduce carbon emission, lest his country would sink down in coming years. Good documentary, that begins with fresh glimpses of the aesthetic scenery of islands of Maldives and its tantalizing waters. Somewhat fair deal of documentary that is only gala when it's got to be.

It starts of interesting, but soon crashes down into a pile of political crap. Not at all as intriguing as it was made out to be. There are no surprises in this film, and if anything in it really surprises it is the optimism of the people that made the film about the contribution they are making to the world of cinematic entertainment. This movie is a total downer, and I say that with the utmost enthusiasm for indi style films. It Left me wanting for substance.

Wanted to see it, but could not watch more than 10 minutes for some reason.

Best Documentary film I've watched so far...

An interesting foray into the politics of global environment change

Somewhat interesting history but got pretty boring, even if you are quite into preventing climate change.