Ellavut Cimirtuq (Our World Is Changing)

DOCUMENTARY | 30 MINUTES

(Yupik Pronounciation: Chla-vut jee-mik-tuk) As the village of Quinhagak works to save save its cultural artifacts from washing into the Bering Sea, a local filmmaker explores her community’s relationship with its language, and ways of life in Southwest Alaska.

Co-Directed by Jacqueline Cleveland, Mischa Hedges & Sonia Luokkala

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PAST SCREENINGS

3/29/25 | WINNER – Audience Award for BEST SHORT FILM
Sebastopol Documentary Film Festival
Sebastopol, CA | Tickets

6/7/24 | WINNER – Best Overall Film, Best Documentary Short
Denali Film Festival
Denali National Park, AK | Tickets

5/4/24 | California Premiere
DocLands Documentary Film Festival
Smith Rafael Film Center | San Rafael, CA | Tickets

12/2/23 | World Premiere
Anchorage International Film Festival
Beartooth Theater | Anchorage, AK | Tickets

More screenings will be announced here soon!

50% of profits from screening licenses and royalties from this film are donated to organizations serving Alaska Native Communities.

SYNOPSIS

Many coastal villages in Alaska are under imminent threat from thawing permafrost, sea-level rise and erosion. The accelerated retreat of Arctic sea ice has left shorelines unfrozen and exposed.

In Southwest Alaska, the thawing permafrost reveals a significant archaeological site, frozen in time. As the community of Quinhagak races to save the artifacts from being washed away into the Bering Sea, Yupik filmmaker Jacqueline Cleveland explores how a distant past rewrites narratives of change and adaptation.

As the village pioneers a new model of community archaeology, the artifacts reawaken connections with language, art, and ways of life, while the warming climate alters the very ground that shaped them.  

PRESS

11/30/23 – Anchorage Daily News
“Examining how climate change affects Southwest Alaska villages, filmmakers highlight Yup’ik resilience and pride”

Nature Conservancy
“Women in Alaska Show the Way on Climate”

Press Democrat
“It’s about hope in the face of climate change, reconnecting with where you’re from, and what it means to be a part of your community.”

CREDITS

Production Company
TRIMTAB MEDIA

Co-Directors
JACQUELINE CLEVELAND, MISCHA HEDGES, SONIA LUOKKALA

Executive Producer
MISCHA HEDGES

Associate Producers
JACQUELINE CLEVELAND, SONIA LUOKKALA

Cinematography
MISCHA HEDGES, JACQUELINE CLEVELAND

Editor
ALEX ALBERS

Colorist
NICOLAI CRANE

Original Score
CLEOD9 MUSIC

Contributing Sponsors
TRIMTAB MEDIA, SIERRA CLUB, THE AWESOME FOUNDATION
CORIOLIS FILMS, ALASKA WILDERNESS LEAGUE, MISCHA HEDGES
CAROL HEDGES, MINGMING YANG