The Island President

I seriously don't get why this documentary scores this low on IMDb. But then again, I've seen weirder ratings on here. Good, to get to the point:

Some call this docu a propaganda film for environmentalists, or for the "island president" himself. Fair enough. But is that necessarily a 'bad' thing? In my opinion, this docu gives a great insight in the complexities (and, perhaps, to an extent the impossibilities) of global governance of environmental issues. I do not think this docu actually leaves you with a positive feeling on how to tackle environmental problems, if ever. Nevertheless, it does provide you a very compelling story of a man who tries to make a difference, though be it a tiny, tiny difference. The island president's role is comparable to that of little David trying to fight gigantic, grotesque Goliath.

A very compelling docu that, I think, you should have seen if you're interested in high-level politics.

The Documentary was very well directed and presented. It portrays the important events that took place in Mohamed Nasheed's life as a child and as a politician, and his 'sudden' movement towards environment. It would made us think the how vulnerable the Maldivian life actually is!

The Island President is hardly a PowerPoint presentation on the subject of environmental responsibility. That's already been done well enough. Instead, This Documentary tackles the message from a compelling human- interest angle -- by focusing on the messenger.

It was far more entertaining and less didactic than An Inconvenient Truth, with beautiful scenery of Indian Ocean captured with bird-view camera angles both in stills and amazing time-lapses.

A must watch for all environment lovers.

This is movie is a PR effort helping him to win Nobel Peace Prize. He was ousted by his own people in 3 years like Hosni Mubarak and Gazzafi.

His total presidency was a drama filled lies and lies. I am sure we westerners are more civilized than a third world countries.

I doubt any ethical person will buy a ticket for this movie when this movie was funded secretly from tax payers money. Maldives is a very small country with limited resources and its ousted president want to become a Hollywood celebrity. I see no difference than the Saudi Royal Family and Him.

No offense to his loyal supporters.

Okay. Let me just tell you something about Mohamed Nasheed's presidency as voiced by an actual Maldivian.

I don't know who this user Princess Lamha Fathina is, or where she got her information about how the people of Maldives ousted him out of his post.

But just to set the record straight, from someone who was actually there when the whole thing took place; President Nasheed was forced to step down from his post because of a bloody coup!

The police force of Maldives turned against him at the behest of another political figure who was rumored to be bribing them and they were the ones who brutalized civilians in order to make this happen. There are several videos of it on you-tube for god's sake!

And I saw it happen with my own eyes!

He was the first democratic president of Maldives and the youth and anyone who wasn't brainwashed by the former dictator of Maldives (who corrupted the country for a good forty years) loved him.

Be it, he made a few blunders during his run, but he was the first one to opt for a revolution. And one of his first priorities was the fragile environment of Maldives.

This movie highlights the good he has done and it is definitely not in any way a misrepresentation of what he was doing.

Oh, and thank you Princess Lamha Fathina for differentiating us little Asian people from you "westerners". But please, the next time you take a stand for something; at least get your facts right.

I don't make any comments about George W. Bush or President Obama even though I hear thousands of rumors; you know why? Because I wasn't actually there or know anything PERSONALLY.

To anyone who's thinking of watching this movie; please do!

It is not only inspiring to Maldivians themselves but also tells people of how delicate this beautiful place actually is.

And all this has been captured wonderfully in this documentary. :)

I just saw this movie on a plane, was deeply moved and impressed by it, and I had to respond to one IMDb user's review.

User darren-511's pathetic one-star review above claims that "All Islands are at Sea Level" and that The Island President overlooked this glaring error.

Here's a basic geography lesson.

Sea level means the measurement of the average height of the ocean's surface. In the Maldives, the highest point on land is only 2.4 meters above sea level, or above the height of the water. This means on these very low, flat islands, there is no high ground whatsoever to seek refuge on if sea level rise or a tsunami occurs. Where on earth do you get the notion that "All Islands are at sea level?!" Haven't you ever seen an island with a mountain on it, like the Haleakala or Mauna Loa volcanoes in Hawaii? The Maldives are seriously in danger of being wiped out by climate change and I don't want to let your serious ignorance of basic science have any opportunity to steer viewers away from this great film.