SMEA alumna Lindsay Gordon is helping bring global attention to climate change and sea-level rise through film as the Impact Producer of the award-winning documentary Oceania: Journey to the Center. The feature-length film tells the story of life on an atoll in the Pacific island nation of Kiribati, which scientists predict could become uninhabitable by 2030 due to rising sea levels and warming temperatures driven by climate change.

An environmental-social impact specialist and marine conservationist, Lindsay has spent decades working alongside communities around the world, from remote regions of Chile to research vessels in Antarctica, to address some of today’s most pressing environmental challenges. Her work focuses on issues such as plastic pollution, exploitation, and overfishing, and supporting sustainable livelihoods for coastal communities.

The film has already received international recognition, including Best International Feature at the Ecoador Film Festival and the Ischia Film Festival, Best Female Director at the Frome Climate Festival, and the Wild Women Award at the Innsbruck Nature Film Festival. But for Lindsay and filmmaker Natalie Zimmerman, the goal extends beyond the screen.

Through the film’s growing Impact Program, Lindsay is working to transform the documentary into a platform for real-world change. Efforts include ocean education initiatives, community impact screenings, knowledge-sharing programs led by Indigenous women, and initiatives focused on climate and sea-level rise literacy.

Lindsay invites individuals and organizations to take part in the project, whether by collaborating, hosting screenings, or supporting the work through the film’s grassroots Impact GoFundMe campaign. Those attending San Francisco Climate Week can also join an impact screening of the film on April 21.

Before working on the film, Lindsay served as Head of Global Programs at Parley for the Oceans, where she helped lead international efforts to address plastic pollution and support sustainable livelihoods through partnerships in more than 14 countries. She now works with organizations and individuals to drive environmental and social change while continuing to speak regularly on environmental topics.

Through her work on Oceania: Journey to the Center, Lindsay demonstrates the powerful role storytelling and film can play in advancing environmental awareness, amplifying community voices, and inspiring action around some of the most urgent challenges facing our oceans and coastal communities today.