Between the Tides by Nick Manning and Tyler Quintano

Sundarban, India – In December of 2006, researchers from Jadavpur University in Calcutta reported that the first inhabited island has been submerged as a result of rising sea levels and global warming. 10,000 people once inhabited the island of Lohachara in the Bay of Bengal. They have recently become landless refugees. Reports indicate that residents have fled to the larger island of Sagar, which is also eroding into the Ganges estuary. Researchers at Jadavpur said that at least 70,000 people in the Sundarban atoll will become eco-refugees within several years.

In today’s economically connected world, it is imperative to understand how the swiftly changing world is shaping the way in which we live and interact. By presenting the case study of the Sundarbans in a format easily accessible to all ages and backgrounds, we are bringing to light a contemporary story in need of attention. The documentary film uses education to promote practical awareness of a potentially devastating affect of climate change. While the film is made accessible to a broader audience with an entertainment value, it will also be used to indirectly persuade policy makers to make sound decisions on climate change issues. The project also aspires to give the audience the opportunity to confront the idea of how decisions made in one corner of the globe directly affect people living in another.

Between the Tides is a independently produced documentary film that explores the plight of environmental refugees in the coastal Sundarban region of Southeast India and Western Bangladesh. The film was shot, produced and managed by Tyler Quintano and Nick Manning.The Sundarban Project required us to live on the island of Sagar in the Bay of Bengal for three months. We met with experts, victims of sea level rise, local NGO’s and lawmakers for video interviews throughout India and Bangladesh. Our film will be coming to the Abbey Theatre in Durango, Colorado on July 11, 2008 and will answer the following questions:

•Where have the displaced inhabitants relocated to exactly and how has their quality of life changed?

•What can be done to help?

•When sea levels rise and large numbers of inhabitants are displaced, how are the regions dealing with mass migrations economically, socially, and politically?

•Are the Sundarbans an isolated incident or is their plight a warning for additional coastal regions worldwide?

Tyler Quintano
During years of solo travel in Latin America and Several South and South East Asian countries including India, Tyler Quintano has become educated in the diversity of living conditions among people in developing nations. Throughout his journeys, Quintano found himself questioning our current global economics and wondering about how decisions made by first world nations affect people living in countries with much less. This topic has become a major theme for his most recent project, The Hills of Caracas. Similar incentives have inspired him to work on a new documentary film in India. While Quintano grew up in Durango, Colorado, he has spent several summers as a wild land firefighter in Alaska in order help fund his projects.

Nick Manning

Manning is the Vice President of the International Institute for Inspiration. Manning’s professionalism with photography has gained him recognition in various galleries. As a political science student, Manning aspires to use his photography skills as a tool for social awareness. Like Quintano, Manning also grew up in Durango and works as a wild land firefighter in Alaska during the summer.