Orpheum Premieres New Climate Change Documentary

Rising tides, eroding shores and Cape Cod’s ongoing struggle with climate change take center stage in "Shifting Tides,” a new documentary premiering Aug. 21 at the Chatham Orpheum Theater.

“Shifting Tides” focuses on the human experience of climate change along Cape Cod’s vulnerable coastline, exploring the widespread sense of paralysis many feel when confronting the crisis. Featuring voices in science, economics, Indigenous culture and local community, the film shifts the conversation from viewing climate change as a distant threat to recognizing it as a shared responsibility — urging the community to engage, reflect and explore meaningful solutions. 

Produced by Cape Cod filmmaker and Lower Cape TV coast and climate reporter Angela McNerney, the 30-minute documentary includes conversations with Dr. Charles “Stormy” Mayo of the Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown and Dr. Scott Barrett, natural resources economist at Columbia University. Their insights offer local and global perspectives on environmental and economic impacts related to coastal change.

Co-sponsored by the Chatham Climate Action Network, Chatham Conservation Foundation and the Friends of Chatham Waterways, the film aims to shift the narrative around climate change from one of separation to shared responsibility.

“We are nature, but we act like nature is performing for us instead of it happening to us, too.” McNerney said. “We have to acknowledge that we are a part of nature, not merely in the audience of it.”

The documentary features drone footage from Provincetown to Chatham, showing seasonal shifts and land loss faced by year-round residents. McNerney said the film is not intended as a solution, but as a starting point for conversations about climate change.

“We may be the problem, but we are also the solution,” she said. “That has to be emphasized just as much as the negative impact.”

The documentary premieres Thursday Aug. 21 at 6 p.m. at the Chatham Orpheum Theater. A question-and-answer panel featuring McNerney, Mayo and Barrett will follow the screening. Tickets are free but are limited and can be reserved at the Orpheum website and box office.