ONANCOCK, Va. — After a world premiere at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam and sold-out screenings at the DC Environmental Film Festival and Annapolis Film Festival, Been Here Stay Here—a poignant documentary about life on Tangier Island—is making its way back to the Chesapeake Bay.
The film will be shown at the historic Roseland Theatre in Onancock from June 20 to 24, with four scheduled screenings:
- Friday, June 20 at 7 p.m.
- Saturday, June 21 at 7 p.m.
- Sunday, June 22 at 4 p.m.
- Tuesday, June 24 at 7 p.m.
The Eastern Shore run follows an emotional homecoming on May 10, when the filmmakers hosted two free screenings for Tangier Island residents. The evening marked the culmination of a six-year journey documenting a unique and threatened way of life.
Directed by David Usui, co-director of In Transit alongside the late Albert Maysles, Been Here Stay Here departs from traditional climate documentaries. The film features no narration or statistics—just an intimate, observational lens on one of the Chesapeake Bay’s most iconic and endangered communities.
Rather than focusing solely on the crisis of sea level rise, the film explores themes of resilience, faith, and generational belonging. Viewers meet Tangier’s watermen, churchgoers, and families who continue to hold fast to their home despite mounting environmental and cultural pressures.
At a time of climate anxiety and political polarization, Been Here Stay Here offers a rare glimpse of humanity—with empathy, patience, and reverence for the people who live the story.
Tickets and full schedule are available at www.roselandonancock.com. The film’s trailer can be viewed at www.beenherestayhere.com.
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