Been Here Stay Here
Through intimate cinema verité, BEEN HERE STAY HERE Here explores the quiet yet profound crisis unfolding on Tangier Island, where climate change isn’t an abstract concept but a daily reality threatening to erase an entire community. The film follows three generations living on the island: Ooker Eskridge, the resolute mayor, whose family has called this place home for six generations; Cameron Evans, a young man caught between the pull of tradition and the allure of opportunities beyond the island; and Jacob Parks, a seven-year-old boy learning the deep maritime history that may soon slip away from him.
The deeply held Christian faith of Tangier’s residents becomes both their compass and their refuge, as they search for meaning and solace in the face of an uncertain future. Filmmaker David Usui documents their struggle, offering a powerful meditation on survival, faith, and the human desire for home amidst the inexorable forces of a changing planet. It’s a story not just about loss, but about the ways we hold on, even as the world shifts beneath us.
David Usui (Director, Producer, Editor, Cinematographer)
David Usui has spent over 15 years crafting character-driven stories as a director and cinematographer. His work has been featured on PBS, ITVS, The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Atlantic, and VICE. His collaboration with the legendary director Albert Maysles on In Transit—a contemplative exploration of life on Amtrak’s Empire Builder—premiered at Tribeca Film Festival, where it earned the Special Jury Prize for Best Feature Documentary.
In 2009, David co-founded Lost & Found Films, a production company creating documentary and commercial content for brands, NGOs, and broadcasters. He studied philosophy and environmental studies at Western Washington University, and served as an adjunct professor at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism.
In BEEN HERE STAY HERE, his directorial debut, David captures the quiet yet profound crisis unfolding on Tangier Island, where a close-knit Christian community contends with the heartbreaking reality of losing their home to rising seas.
