SUMMARY
Sun Come Up is a character-driven documentary following the relocation of some of the world’s first climate refugees, the Carteret Islanders – a community living on a remote island chain 50 miles off the coast of Papua New Guinea. The islanders are among the first to organize a community-wide evacuation as a result of climate change.

The islanders share a rich tradition of music, dance, and storytelling. For centuries, they’ve lived on a diet of fresh fish, bananas and vegetables, and without cars, electricity, or running water. Their carbon footprint leaves one of the lightest impressions on the planet.

Now, however, a modern crisis has intruded upon them, and their idyllic community is on the verge of dramatic change. Small islands like this stand at the frontlines of climate change. Rising seas contaminate their fresh water and gardening land, erode the shoreline and contribute to severe and unpredictable weather.

The Carteret Islanders currently face three urgent problems: the population is increasing, access to food and water is decreasing, and the islands are shrinking rapidly. As their beloved homeland disappears into the sea, they stand to lose their livelihood, fond memories, and close communal ties.

Sun Come Up follows relocation leader Ursula Rakova – a dynamic and powerful leader – and a group of young people from the islands as they search for a new place to call home. Ursula is racing to secure land for her people on nearby Bougainville before the next high tide season strikes. But the move will not be easy – Bougainville itself is recovering from a violent civil war. Leaving behind a peaceful existence on a remote atoll, the islanders must adapt to a community suffering the aftershock of war.

To smooth the way for change, Ursula brings together young families from the Carteret Islands and from Bougainville. The film, shot vérité style, contains a natural arc as we follow the families on a climate tour through Bougainville, leading to their eventual relocation. They search for land, exchange rituals, screen An Inconvenient Truth and interview with Radio Bougainville.

Meanwhile, interwoven throughout, Ursula races to find support for the relocation. She eventually gains international recognition for her hard work and is invited to New York to meet with the diplomatic community and other powerful community leaders, who are fighting to mitigate the devastating impacts of climate change.

Sun Come Up shows what millions of people around the globe could face as human rights organizations predict climate change could displace up to 250 million people by mid-century. It also raises important questions about climate change, human rights, and conflict resolution.