PRESS KIT
2024 / 86 minutes / Documentary / DCP / Dolby 5.1 / USA / Color
In English & German with English Subtitles
LOG LINE
On a remote island in the Chesapeake Bay, a deeply rooted evangelical 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.
(61 words - 359 characters)
ONE LINER
On a remote island in the Chesapeake Bay, a deeply rooted evangelical fishing community confronts the erosion of land and tradition, as their centuries-old way of life, anchored in faith, approaches a turning point.
(34 words - 215 characters)
SYNOPSIS
Been Here Stay Here is a quiet, immersive portrait of a place long used as a symbol, but rarely heard on its own terms. Set on Tangier Island—a centuries-old evangelical fishing community in Virginia’s Chesapeake Bay—the film eschews the tropes of conventional climate storytelling. There are no experts, voiceovers, or statistics. Been Here Stay Here invites audiences to sit with the lived reality of a community facing the slow erosion of its land, not through spectacle or alarm, but through faith, memory, and daily life.
For decades, Tangier has been framed as “America’s first climate casualty”—a vanishing island whose residents, often portrayed as skeptical or backwards, are blamed for their own precarious situation. In political shorthand, the island becomes a symbol of denial, often used to reinforce preexisting divides rather than bridge them. But this film offers another way in. Through patient observation and deep relational trust, Been Here Stay Here uncovers a story not about denial but about devotion: to place, to faith, to a way of life that refuses easy categorization.
The island has lost over two-thirds of its landmass since the 1850s. Water laps at doorsteps. Graves fall into the sea. But the residents remain—fishermen, pastors, parents, children—bound by deep roots and a spiritual language that often runs counter to mainstream environmental discourse. For many, climate change isn’t a hoax, nor is it a priority. It’s simply not the frame they use. Concerns are more immediate: the stability of the crab industry, the safety of their kids, the survival of their church. And yet, stewardship is everywhere—embedded in the rhythms of fishing, in reverence for the land, in the quiet moral calculus of staying when it would be easier to leave.
Rather than argue with or explain away these differences, Been Here Stay Here lingers inside them. The film is not a lecture—it’s a listening space. It asks: What gets overlooked when we judge people solely by their perceived contradictions? How might we begin to understand a community not in spite of their beliefs, but through them? What does it mean to love a place that is slipping away?
Inspired by the work of climate scientist and Evangelical Christian Dr. Katharine Hayhoe, the film attempts to model a different kind of climate conversation—one rooted in relationship, not rhetoric. Hayhoe often says that the most important thing you can do about climate change is to talk about it—not to win, but to connect. This film takes that seriously.
In the end, Been Here Stay Here is less about rising seas than it is about what rises in us when we stop trying to convince and start trying to understand. It is a film about belonging, loss, and the radical act of staying put—even when the world tells you to move on.
(465 words - 2795 characters)
DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT
Ever since I started making films, I’ve been looking for a climate story. But not the kind we’ve grown used to—the ones that come with alarm bells, sharp lines, and a sense that you already know where it’s headed. So much of the conversation feels dominated by a single, loud narrative. It’s certain, it’s divisive, and it tends to reinforce the same old camps. There’s not a lot of listening happening—just a lot of noise, a lot of finger-pointing, and most of it aimed at people who already agree. I wasn’t interested in adding to that. I was looking for something quieter. A story that opens instead of shuts down. One that invites a different kind of attention—slower, more generous, rooted in the hope that we might still be able to hear each other.
Been Here Stay Here is that story for me.
The film is set on Tangier Island, a centuries-old evangelical fishing community in the Chesapeake Bay. A place where faith is not performative but lived. Where belief, tradition, and survival are all braided together. I first traveled there without a camera. For two years I returned, slowly, quietly, listening. It was important to me not to impose a narrative, but to let one emerge—rooted in trust, in relationship, in presence. Only after that ground was laid did I begin to film.
What we made isn’t a conventional climate documentary. It doesn’t rely on experts or narration. It doesn’t argue. It observes. And in doing so, it offers something rare in this space: a chance to connect across lines that usually divide us. We created a film that we hope speaks to a traditional audience—but maybe more importantly, one that can find and engage a faith-based audience. That’s what makes this film unique.
Too often, climate storytelling fails to reach the people who might matter most—not because they don’t care, but because the language doesn’t include them. For decades, environmentalism has been framed as belonging to one side of a political divide, leaving entire communities feeling unseen or alienated. But people of faith have always had a language for care, for stewardship, for reverence. The bridge is already there—we just have to walk across it.
In this film, I tried to do just that. Not by softening the truth, but by deepening the conversation. Because the climate crisis, at its core, is not just about science or politics—it’s about relationship. To land. To tradition. To one another. And if we can’t begin from that place, we risk losing more than just ground beneath our feet—we risk losing the possibility of finding our way forward, together.
SPECS
Title of Film Been Here Stay Here
Country of Production USA
Date of Completion September 2024
Shooting Format 4K UHD
Screening Format DCP and Pro Res available
Ratio Standard 16:9 DCP
Sound Dolby Digital 5.1 Theatrical
Duration 86 minutes
Genre Documentary
Language English, German (Subtitles)
CONTACTS
PUBLICITY
Ry Levey
+1 647 781 0818
rylevey@gmail.com
www.rylevey.com
PRODUCTION COMPANY
Lost & Found Films
+1 646 801 2015
mail@lostfoundfilms.com
www.lostfoundfilms.com
STILLS
BIOS
DAVID USUI
DIRECTOR / PRODUCER / CINEMATORGRAPHER / EDITOR
David Usui has spent over 15 years crafting character-driven documentaries as a director and cinematographer. His work, which has been featured in The New York Times, PBS, ITVS, The Atlantic, and VICE, reflects a commitment to storytelling that is both intimate and expansive. David’s collaboration with the legendary Albert Maysles on In Transit—a film that captures the stories of travelers along Amtrak’s “Empire Builder” route—premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and was awarded the Special Jury Prize for Best Feature Documentary.
In 2009, David co-founded Lost & Found Films, a production company that has brought documentary and commercial content to life in partnership with brands, ad agencies, broadcasters, and NGOs. David’s background in philosophy and environmental studies, at Western Washington University, has deeply informed his work, blending thoughtfulness with a keen eye for the environments in which his stories unfold. As an adjunct professor at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism, David has imparted this vision to his students, guiding them to explore the world with curiosity and compassion.
GIORGIO ANGELINI
PRODUCER
Giorgio Angelini came into film from a longer, multi- faceted career in the creative arts, including music and architecture. His directorial debut, Owned: A Tale of Two Americas came out of his interest in architecture and housing policy. The film made its television premiere in 2022 on Independent Lens/PBS and was viewed by over three million people.
His second film, 2020’s Feels Good Man, premiered at Sundance where it went on to win the Special Jury Prize for Emerging Filmmaker, as well as a News & Doc Emmy for Best Research in Feature Documentary.
His latest project, The Antisocial Network, was released on Netflix in April 2024 and was a Top 10 film across the globe. Giorgio studied American History at the University of Texas, Austin and received his Masters of Architecture from Rice University.
ELIZABETH RAO
EDITOR
Liz Rao is a filmmaker based in Brooklyn, NY. Her award-winning work focuses on theatrically-released fiction and documentary features. Recent credits include lead editing feature film MATERNA (dir. David Gutnik, Tribeca Film Festival 2020 US Narrative Competition, lead editing feature documentary MAINELAND (dir. Miao Wang, SXSW winner of special jury award for observational cinema), and producing and co-editing acclaimed fiction film MADELINE’S MADELINE (dir. Josephine Decker, Gotham Independent Film Nominee for Best Feature, Independent Spirit Award-nominee, Independent Editor Award), among other upcoming fiction and documentary features. She is currently on scholarship as a writer and director in the NYU Graduate Film program. She has taught workshops in experimental filmmaking at True/False Film Festival, has given artist talks at The Edit Center, UnionDocs, and Yale University, and is a member of the collective Brown Girls Doc Mafia. Before filmmaking, she worked for four seasons on the programming team at Tribeca Film Festival.
PETER STEUSLOFF
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Peter Steusloff is an award-winning cinematographer with over 15 years experience. His first feature Skook won the Grand Jury Prize at the New Orleans Film Festival. His work in both documentary and narrative films showcases his sensitive eye for storytelling and his attention to lighting. Peter continues to work as a commercial cinematographer with clients including L’Oreal, Swarovski, Macy’s, Comcast, and many others.
MARTHA WOLLNER
STORY PRODUCER
For over 20 years Martha Wollner worked with Albert and David Maysles (Maysles Film Inc), capturing real people stories for award winning projects that ranged from documentary features to landmark commercial campaigns and corporate projects for a host of Fortune 500 clients. Her duties at MFI included casting, producing and second unit directing on feature documentaries. Following her tenure as General Manager of the company, Martha established her own company, Very Real Casting, dedicated to nurturing human stories for all forms of media. Now in its 20th year, Very Real Casting is rooted in the same skill set the Maysles Brothers saw in Wollner from the outset; the ability to find and establish relationships with people who deliver the greatest window into their real stories.
JAMES WILLIAM BLADES
COMPOSER
James William Blades is a composer and producer based in New York. Working primarily as a film composer, he has worked across a wide range of productions including feature films, documentary, art exhibition, sound installation as well as producing music for recording artists. His credits include music composition for Black is King (dir. Beyonce Knowles, Disney), Flypaper and Black Mary (dir. Kahlil Joseph), and for Mercury Award Winning artist Sampha’s film Process.
James has produced music that had been presented at the V&A Museum in London, Venice Biennale, Serpentine Gallery, New Museum, The Shed, 180 The Strand and Palais De Tokyo, where he produced music for artist and musician Theaster Gates exhibition, Amalgam. More recently James scored the Showtime documentary Point Gods produced by Coodie and Chike and Kevin Durant. James has a Masters in composition at Royal College of Music and is the founder of the music production studio Interlude.