“Sanibel” film captures resilience of the island after Hurricane Ian

The movie “Sanibel” premiered at the Naples International Film Festival in October.

What began as a lighthearted documentary exploring Sanibel’s seashell culture took a sharp turn when Hurricane Ian hit the island six weeks into filming.

Marking time on Sanibel is just a little different. There’s before Ian, and then there’s after.

“You’re gonna see the lighthouse, you’re gonna see Bowman’s Beach, and restaurants like the Blue Giraffe and the Lighthouse Cafe, and you’re going to see landmarks,” said Sanibel director Jamie Winterstern. “Hurricane Ian destroyed this island and the entire coastline; people were lost. They didn’t know what to do.”

Winterstern’s film, “Sanibel,” captures it all.

It began as a story about the island’s quirky seashell culture.

“We were just trying to talk to people that were fascinated by seashells and knew about the history of seashells on this island,” said Winterstern.

One of the first people he met was Emily Miller, a sheller and trolley driver for adventures in paradise.

“We toured the entire island,” said Winterstern.

Winterstern’s cameras captured the beauty of Sanibel as it was: the island inn, the community house and the lighthouse, not knowing what was coming.

“We didn’t finish filming when it became Hurricane Ian, and the story took a little turn,” said Miller.

Just like the changing tides, a lighthearted film about seashells shifted as Ian’s surge crushed the island.

“He talked me into that part, the second part of it, after the storm and coming into my house and me basically putting down all my guards; it was a story that needed to be told. And it’s not just my story; it’s the story of many people in this area,” said Miller.

Many people and the film ask: would the community’s love of shelling and the shore survive their grief?

Spoiler alert: it did.

“All the people that we worked with, that we documented, they bound, they came together as a community, and they all were able to come back to the water to do the very thing that they were doing in the first place, which was seeking therapy,” said Winterstern.

Seeking solace. The same water that destroyed their island also brought “A tremendous amount of shells on the beach, and it’s almost like a gift that they leave behind,” said Winterstern.

One that heals.

“Even though it’s a story about a hurricane, it’s still the through line are the seashells. I found there’s really a connection between people and shells,” said Winterstern. “We’re both very fragile, but yet we’re very resilient creatures.”

Since Ian, Sanibel has been through two more hurricanes, proving its resilience all over again.

“Sanibel” will play in Paragon Theatres in North Naples exclusively for one week, from Jan. 10 to Jan. 16.

You might spot a familiar face in the movie. The Weather Authority’s chief meteorologist Matt Devitt is featured in the film.