Shored Up

Ben Kalina, USA, 2013, 84 mins
In Person: Ben Kalina; Michelle Myers, SF Bay Chapter Director, Sierra Club

West Coast Premiere.

Shored Up leaves no sand grain unturned; every perspective is brought together to capture wisdom and ironic lessons as New Jersey and North Carolina grapple with accelerating sea level rise before and after Hurricane Sandy. It is a gripping tale about human nature and how we try to prevail over the tremendous forces of nature that can be episodic and terrifying at times, separated by long periods of seeming tranquility. The scenes shot during and after Hurricane Sandy remind us of that reality in a visceral way.

Shored Up portrays how all of us, even taxpayers who live far away from the U.S. East Coast, are a part of this story. At the heart of the film are the wise and insightful comments by surfers, artists, mayors, scientists, and coastal residents. Understanding the causes of sea level rise presents challenges for deciding long-term solutions while communities struggle with short-term “fixes” for coastal erosion and storm surges of today. ~ Brenda Ekwurzel