On Island West | BLOCK I |

In a dystopian UK flooded by climate change into an archipelago, Arya, 18, is raised as a militant racist on an isolated, tribal island. When a persecuted indigenous Canadian stranger arrives, Arya sees her world through his eyes, igniting a longing for freedom and racial justice that clashes with her upbringing and her bond to home. When he discovers the safe haven he seeks is racist, both must decide what freedom is worth.

Director Biography - Carolyn Saunders

Carolyn Saunders grew up on air force bases around the world, and her work frequently explores themes of identity and home.

Her feature sci-fi script Island West was selected for the 2020 Meryl Streep/Nicole Kidman-supported Writer’s Lab. Her short script On Island West was a 2020 UK Challenge Alexa winner, receiving support for her to direct the film.

Carolyn co-wrote Amazon’s feminist take on Ted Bundy, the critically acclaimed series Ted Bundy: Falling for a Killer, to cap off a decade of writing documentary television, while she segued into directing.

After her debut feature, The Wasting, was theatrically released in 2017, she was selected for Canada’s prestigious Women in the Director’s Chair program.