The Island President

The film was funded by groups including the Ford Foundation, the American Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Atlantic Philanthropies and the Sundance Institute. At the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival, The Island President won the Cadillac People's Choice Documentary Award. US rights to The Island President were acquired by Samuel Goldwyn Films. The film opened in New York City on March 28, 2012, followed by releases in other US cities, like Los Angeles and San Francisco. ==Reception==

The Island President received positive reviews from critics. A. O. Scott of The New York Times described the film as "buoyant and spirited" despite a grim postscript, praising its "spectacular aerial and underwater footage of the Maldives' beauty" and stating that "It is impossible, while watching it, to root against Mr. Nasheed or to believe that he will fail". Noel Murray of The A.V. Club gave the film a "B−", praising "the energy and conclusiveness" of its opening sections, but writing that "the movie stalls a bit" during the sections of international diplomacy. After Nasheed stepped down as president in February 2012, Shenk said that he hoped his film could help convince the world that Nasheed was deposed in a coup that was orchestrated by loyalists to the former dictator, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom. "That might be the single most important thing that the movie can do. It's now clear that this new government is not democratic, that the people who run the ministries are the same people who were there under the dictator." == See also ==