The Republic of the Marshall Islands is an island nation near the equator in the vast endless blue of the Pacific Ocean. The country spreads out across three islands and 29 coral atolls, which comprise 1156 individual islands and islets. Most parts of the Marshall Islands are less than 5.9 feet above sea level. Even before the era of the Ancient Greeks, the Marshall Islands were already inhabited. But now the greenhouse gas emissions of the industrial societies severely harm or might even destroy the ancient culture of the Marshall Islands. Because the sea is rising. Negative forecasts predict the un-inhabitability of the islands by the year 2050. And yet there is hope and it might save us all. "One Word" is a participatory documentary about the impacts of Climate Change on the Republic of the Marshall Islands and its people. The movie was developed and filmed with the inclusion of Marshallese people through film workshops that have run over a period of nine months. The filmmakers trusted the Marshallese people to be the only reliable experts when it comes to the story of their land. This unique approach to mutual exploration has resulted in an exciting, vivid and highly charged documentary that captures the most important topic of our time.
The greenhouse gas emissions of the industrial societies will most likely destroy the ancient culture of the Marshall Islands. This is not only a local event, but also a universal warning to all people on earth. Using the fate of the Marshall Islands as an example, the filmmakers were able to demonstrate the impact of global warming and rising sea levels. It was particularly important for Viviana and Mark Uriona not to go to the Marshall Islands as filmmakers from the first world and make a film about those affected. They followed a participatory approach. They got to know the people on site, developed the film project together with them and therefore enabled a kind of empowerment. This unique approach to mutual exploration has resulted in an exciting, vivid and highly charged documentary that captures the most important topic of our time.