provided to The Santiva Chronicle
“On Sanibel: The Hurricane Diaries,” a powerful new documentary that captures the resilience of Sanibel Island in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, will premiere at 3 p.m. Thursday, May 15, at the Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center, as part of the Fort Myers Film Festival.
One of the members in the audience, and one of the main characters in the film, will be Sanibel’s Vice-Mayor Holly Smith, who was the mayor before, during, and in the months after Hurricane Ian devastated the small town.
“On Sanibel: The Hurricane Diaries” tells the story of many islanders, but the throughline is Holly Smith,” said Laura DeBruce, producer and director of the film. “Her concern from Day One was for the community she loves and serves.”
Smith remembers hearing that the Category Five hurricane had destroyed the Sanibel Causeway. “I knew our whole world had changed, which meant our response had to change,” she said.
From overseeing the rescue of residents stranded on the island to marshalling state and federal resources, Smith worked tirelessly to help her community. The citizens of Sanibel turned up in person, or tuned in online, for the City’s daily press conferences, where Smith kept a tally of how many days had passed since the storm. “I’m telling you every day what day it is because we are recording history,” she explained.
In a post-hurricane story about Sanibel, the New Yorker magazine referred to Smith as “impossibly upbeat.” As resident Jeff Blackman says in the documentary, “That’s exactly what we needed: an unwavering optimism that our island and our community would come back from this disaster.”
“We are stronger than the storm,” Smith said repeatedly.
To learn more about her journey and Sanibel’s recovery, you may purchase tickets to the premiere at the film festival – click here. General admission is $10, and all-day passes are available. “On Sanibel: The Hurricane Diaries” is a profoundly moving tribute to a community that refused to be defeated, shared by those who lived it.
Unfortunately I had to go North and cannot attend the movie in person. Can I buy a DVD or stream it? Please let me and others know how we can view this or buy this.