WHere risk
meets resilience
coming 2027
About the film: RISK
As sea levels rise and storms become more frequent and extreme, communities along the Atlantic Coast are facing urgent questions: How do we adapt? What should we invest in? When do we protect, rebuild, or retreat?
Broadcast Length Documentary | Full Film Release: Winter 2027
RISK follows Lead Researcher Leah Palm Forster as she travels to Delaware, Rhode Island, and South Carolina to meet with scientists, policymakers, local planners, business and infrastructure leaders, grassroots activists, and residents confronting the growing impacts of coastal flooding and salinization.
The film focuses on the human and economic consequences of sea level rise while showing how scientific research can support practical, locally grounded resilience strategies. Ultimately, RISK is designed to move beyond awareness by helping audiences understand the choices coastal communities face and encouraging action toward safer, more resilient futures.

From the Director: Ben Hemmings

Our visual approach is defined by Immersive Observation. Active Handheld: The camera doesn’t just sit there. It breathes with the characters. We want the audience to feel the peril of a waist-high flood in Charleston and the urgency of town hall meetings in Delaware. We are moving away from talking heads. Our subjects are captured in their element: working, talking to peers, finding solutions. This keeps the momentum moving forward, expanding our audience beyond the converted and the academic. Cinematic drone sequences serve a dual purpose. They aren’t just “pretty shots.” They provide the scale of the crisis, capturing inaccessible marshlands and showing the impacts of the encroaching waterline that you simply cannot see from the ground. To unify the disparate locations of the East Coast, we are applying a distinct Teal LUT. This cool, clinical palette ties the university research to the water-based environments. It creates a cohesive, modern cinematic world that feels urgent, slightly uneasy, and visually unforgettable.
From the Producer: Jon Cox

RISK was created to bring coastal resilience research into public view through documentary storytelling. The project has focused on building partnerships, securing locations and access, coordinating field production, and assembling the resources needed to tell this story with depth and credibility. Just as important has been connecting scientific research with the people living these challenges every day. Across Delaware, Rhode Island, and South Carolina, we have worked to center local voices alongside leading researchers and decision makers. Beyond the film itself, we are developing screenings, discussion panels, and participatory outreach that can help communities use the project as a platform for conversation, learning, and local action.
When will the film be available?
We are anticipating an early 2027 release date! Stay tuned!
Get Involved
Interested in bringing the conversation to your institution or organization? We’re available for select campus, community, and public programs related to the film and coastal resilience.