Uncivilized re-released in Dominica after three years; showing to continue over the weekend

For the first time in three years, the award-winning film Uncivilized, which chronicles the experience of Category 5 Hurricane Maria through the eyes of Michael Lees, who was living and filming in the forest when the disaster struck, has been re-released in Dominica.

Speaking exclusively to Dominica News Online (DNO) following the premiere at the Emerald Movies, Lees shared his excitement that the film, which first debuted locally in 2019 at the theatre, could once again be shared with the Dominican public.

“It’s been shown in many different countries over the years, but showing it here is extremely special because we basically all went through that experience together. So while it’s a personal story, it’s still a story that everyone can relate to and it’s almost like we all sort of relived that story together,” he said.

In 2017, the Dominican-British digital storyteller set out into the forest with nothing more than some basic tools, religious texts, and camera gear. His goal: to find a way out of the modern perils of overconsumption, technology addiction, and global warming. But three months in, Category 5 Hurricane Maria – one of the most powerful hurricanes of all time – made a direct hit on Michael’s island. All of a sudden, the entire island must reckon with itself as the entire population is sent back to the stone age.

Since its release, Lees’ story has been shared in numerous countries and festivals around the world and he has also won awards at the Barbados Independent Film Festival, and the African Diaspora Cinema Festival in Italy.

“The story evolved so much and I think maybe the lesson there, is just learning to adapt. I wanted to tell a slightly different story, but Maria came through, and it still tied all the themes together and I just had to pivot and tell a different story. And it has been a beautiful thing, being able to share that story around the world and get the responses that I’ve got,” he shared.

Commenting on the progress that the country has made five years later, Lees opines that the nation has come along coupled with the fact that like every other county, Dominica was also affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I think it is a testament to our resilience,” the young man declared.

Albeit the world is currently facing a climate crisis, he notes that there is still tremendous progress to be made by Caribbean islands such as Dominica who are small contributors to this issue, in becoming fully sustainable.

When questioned on some of the lessons learnt from the eye-opening experience, he stated that many of them are not what he initially expected, but he has inculcated these lessons in his everyday life.

“One of the things that I think I learned a lot was one, not being afraid to just try things, and two just, again, discipline and realising even being out in the forest, life still takes a lot of work. So where I would have seen work a certain way before, I’ve learned to realise that work is, unfortunately, a very natural part of our lives and if fingers crossed, you can be fortunate to be doing work that you vibe with, then it’s a great thing,” the filmmaker said.

As to his next move, Lees, whose films explore themes of environmentalism and spirituality, aiming to connect the dots in the “bigger picture”, revealed that he’s presently torn between a docu-series that looks at local and indigenous adaptations to climate change, or trying to write fiction for film.

As to returning to nature and going off-grid, he did not rule it out completely but said that he may not do it in the same way he did five years ago.

“It’s definitely been calling me because as you know, work and our phones and everything keeps you on this sort of very high alert state. It’s really difficult to get mental clarity and to be able to think about things and I do think that I had some of the best mental clarity while I was out there and feeling connected to everything. So hopefully not too late, I’ll be back doing something similar,” he told DNO.

Lees went on to encourage the public to come out this weekend to the Emerald movies – Friday at 9:00 pm, Saturday at 6:30 pm, and Sunday at 6:30 pm and 9:00 pm – to enjoy the film in light of the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Maria.

“I honestly haven’t heard anyone that has seen it and didn’t love it, which is a humbling experience. It’s a limited re-release. So this is your chance to come and see it. If you’ve seen it five years ago, come and see it again,” Lees said.

Due to a new distribution deal recently signed, the film is not available online, however, he advised the public to follow Uncivilised film on Instagram, and Facebook and check their website for updates on when it will be made available for online viewing.