Before the Flood

Small island. Big problems

Directed by Paul Lindsay

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An epic story on a personal scale of the low-lying Pacific island of Tuvalu, a nation fast disappearing as the sea level rises. What does a country do when the earth beneath its feet begins to disappear?

The tiny flat Pacific island nation of Tuvalu was once the third poorest country in the world. However, during the dotcom boom of the 1990s, Tuvalu sold its country domain name .tv for $50 million, an event that was a mixed blessing for the island’s 10,000 inhabitants.

Now as ocean waters rise due to global warming, Tuvalu may have the dubious distinction of being the first country to sink beneath the waves. Paul Lindsay’s amusing and sad documentary visits Tuvalu as the residents come to terms with their impending fate and the world’s apathy.

Before the Flood screened in the UK on BBC4 as part of the Storyville strand.