MediaLab Premiere – “Living on the Edge”

Living on the Edge is the story of a community, North Cove in southwest Washington, who are experiencing extreme rates of coastal erosion. North Cove is home to the fastest-eroding Pacific coastline in the United States, and loses about 150 feet of land per year. As an unincorporated town, the community has had to find their own resources to deal with the fact that people’s houses and important town landmarks are falling into the ocean, since they aren’t getting much, or any, funding from the state. It’s the story of a community committed to sticking around and persevering.

The documentary is entirely student produced.

“I am extremely proud of the drive, vision, and industriousness of the student filmmakers, as well as our marketing and event planning students. They have worked hard to put a human face on the issue of coastal erosion, and have dedicated themselves to ethically telling the story of a community in peril,” Dr. Kate Hoyt, Assistant Professor of Communication, and faculty advisor of MediaLab

“The public should attend because with our changing climate the issue of coastal erosion will become a much bigger deal for many people in the coming future. It is also a great opportunity to learn the story of North Cove and what makes the residents so resilient and special,” Garrett Johnson, Student Director of the documentary.

The premiere will be Saturday, April 27th at 3 p.m. in the Washington State History Museum. Guests will be provided refreshments, a screening of the film, and a question-and-answer session with our two panels – one consisting of scientists, North Cove community members, and other experts on the coastal erosion happening in that community; and one consisting of the student filmmakers about the production of the documentary.