The Ten Commandments: Images from Tuvalu

In this cinematic examination of the meaning of footage of climate disasters, filmmaker Dylan Werkman asks the question whether we should embrace or renounce the images of such situations. The sheer volume of images of climate disasters causes us to dull, to distance ourselves from what we see. Yet it’s the only way to understand the urgency of the situation and to call for action. Can these images regain their impact?

To investigate this, Werkman himself goes to a place where such images come from: Tuvalu, the island that will be the first to disappear due to sea level rise, within a few decades. Every February, because of the spring tide, extreme weather conditions cause water to rise by up to three metres. The people of the island prepare with sandbags, detailed weather forecasts and shelters in case houses flood. At the same time, children play in the flooded streets, weddings take place during the spring tide and life seems to go on as usual for Tuvalu residents. As Werkman captures the impact of the spring tide on the island's population, he asks what we should do with this footage.

IMAGES FROM TUVALU attempts to restore the emotional connection between Western viewers and those affected by the climate crisis in Tuvalu, while exploring the role and limitations of images in shaping awareness and action.

IMAGES FROM TUVALU is part of a documentary series on the Ten Commandments, produced by DOXY Films and EOdocs, in which ten filmmakers each give their take on one of the Commandments. Dylan Werkman ventured into the second commandment: ‘Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image.’

The Ten Commandments - Complete Series