Drowning
Director, Executive Producer, Writer, Editor
Since its European settlement in 1602, nearly 4,000 years after the presence of the Wampanoag Tribe communities, the island of Martha’s Vineyard has been a long sought-after tourist destination, sitting roughly 7 miles off of the coast of Cape Cod. Serving as a year-round home to nearly 23,000 residents, and amassing a population of 200,000 in the summer, the Vineyard has proven itself as a picturesque vacation spot.
Year-round residents work long hours in the fishing industry, as well as construction, hospitality, and real estate. It is home to some of the rarest and most biodiverse habitats, such as sandplains, coastal heathlands, and salt marshes that provide essential ecosystem services. Unfortunately, climate change threatens all of this as sea-level rise, accelerations in temperature, and extreme weather put the social, ecological, and economic well-being of Martha’s Vineyard at risk. “Drowning” explores climate change and the threatening effects it has had on Martha’s Vineyard, asking just how the island will survive if action doesn’t occur.
As climate change quickens and sea levels begin to rise, Drowning delves into the harsh impact that climate change has had on the island of Martha’s Vineyard, as well as the future of the island itself.
Directed by
Executive Producer
Interviews Conducted by
Written by
Director of Photography
Gaffer
Sound Recordist
Production Assistant
Additional Cinematography
Aerial Cinematography
Still Photography
Behind-the-Scenes Photography
Editor
Editing Consultant
Colorist
Sound Mixer
Original Score by
Research Team
Credits
James Hutchinson
James Hutchinson
Mackinzee Macho
James Hutchinson
Alaina Triantafilledes
Annika Swientek
Steven Labovitch
Steven Labovitch
Sophia DiLeo
James Hutchinson
Joy Hutchinson
Jordan Bullock
Sophia DiLeo
James Hutchinson
Michael Blanchard
Ray Ewing
Timothy Johnson
Mark Lovewell
Sophia DiLeo
James Hutchinson
Joy Hutchinson
James Hutchinson
James Hutchinson
Julian Nowik
Julian Nowik
Mackinzee Macho
Marie Hutchinson
Joy Hutchinson
James Hutchinson
Joyce Cournoyer Dresser has been on Martha’s Vineyard for 54 years. She arrived here after graduating from college to create a special education program in the Edgartown School. Joyce taught for 30 years in island schools, and in her retirement has taken care of grandchildren and helped prepare meals for the Vineyard Community Suppers Program. She is passionate about nature, and has always had a love of planting and gardening, all the while enriching her garden soils via composting.
Sadly, she has also witnessed the ravages of storms on all sides of the island, and is disheartened by the eroding of the Gay Head Cliffs, as well as the destruction of the South Beach dunes in Katama.
Thomas (Tom) Dresser is an amateur historian with a long interest in local history. Living on Martha’s Vineyard for nearly 30 years, his curiosity about Vineyard history has been partially satiated by writing books about the Vineyard. After a tenure as an elementary school teacher and later as a nursing home administrator, Tom drove tour and school buses on the Vineyard. He is a member of the Martha’s Vineyard Museum and a frequent speaker at local libraries. Tom’s participation in walking events, such as the annual cross-Island hike and his sojourn along Scotland’s West Highland Way, exemplifies his interest in the impact of climate change.
Liz Durkee is a fourth-generation Martha’s Vineyard summer kid who knew by the age of seven that she would make the island her year-round home. She found peace of mind amid the island’s natural beauty. She was the conservation agent for the town of Oak Bluffs for twenty-two years, and in 2020, she became the first climate change coordinator for the Martha’s Vineyard Commission, the Island’s regional planning agency.
Meghan Gombos has over 20 years of experience with marine conservation as part of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Coral Reef Conservation Program and eventually establishing SeaChange Consulting LLC. She was a long term Martha’s Vineyard summer kid and current resident near the island’s western shores of Aquinnah. She is a part of the Climate Action Plan, The Vineyard Way, team.
Ben Robinson is an Islander born and raised in Tisbury. In addition to his architectural career, he is a member of the Tisbury planning board and the Martha’s Vineyard Commission, where he serves as the chair of the climate action task force.
Carole Vandal is a Wampanoag elder, who grew up on Martha’s Vineyard, moved away from her ancestral home for 30 years, and enjoyed a career life as a biologist, biology teacher, and school administrator. She is a water protector, river keeper, biologist, retired teacher, and Native American flutist, who has returned home to protect her homelands.
james hutchinson
“Ever since I was a little boy, I have summered on Martha’s Vineyard. As a child, My grandfather spent his summers on the Vineyard and passed on the tradition to my mother, and her to me. I have become a seasonal “washashore”, and have created years upon years of memories on the island. I have also had the opportunity to work on the island for several summers as well as bring many friends, sharing this unique part of my life. The Vineyard is a place that I associate with family and countless memories that I hold near to my heart.
Over the years, I have witnessed the slow destruction of the Gay Head Cliffs in Aquinnah on the island’s southwestern shore. I have spent countless beach days on the sand under the cliffs since I was a child. I have boogie-boarded, searched for wampum, and walked to the beach’s end and back, experiencing all of this with friends and family. My aunt and uncle were married atop the cliffs beside the Gay Head light. This is a place that holds so much sentiment for myself and my family. When I began to realize just how real and relevant the issue of climate change was for the Vineyard, I was inspired to create this work, in hopes that I can help, even in the smallest way possible, to combat these negative changes.”