Details:
On a remote island, a deeply-rooted Christian fishing community grapples with the quiet erosion of their land and their traditions. Their centuries-old way of life, sustained by faith and the rhythms of the bay, is now at a poignant crossroads—one that may force them from the only home they’ve ever known.
Been Here Stay Here is a quiet, immersive portrait of Tangier Island, a centuries-old Christian fishing community in Virginia’s Chesapeake Bay. Long used as a symbol in the national climate conversation, Tangier is often portrayed through a lens of skepticism or scorn—framed as “America’s first climate casualty” and written off as a place in denial. This film offers another way in. With no experts, voiceovers, or statistics, Been Here Stay Here invites viewers into the lived experience of the island’s residents—through faith, memory, and the rhythms of daily life. By stepping away from spectacle and alarm, the film allows the community to speak on its own terms, revealing not denial but devotion: to place, to faith, and to a way of life that refuses easy categorization. Inspired by the work of climate scientist and Evangelical Christian Dr. Katharine Hayhoe, the film models a conversation rooted in relationship, not rhetoric. In the end, it’s less about the water at the doorstep than it is about what rises within us when we choose to listen, stay, and understand.
