On Sanibel: The Hurricane Diaries, a powerful documentary that highlights SCCF’s conservation efforts after Hurricane Ian and captures the overall resilience of our community, will premiere next week in the Fort Myers Film Festival.

Attend the screening on Thursday, May 15 at 3 p.m. at the Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center in downtown Fort Myers to show your support of SCCF’s mission to protect and care for our coastal ecosystems and our amazingly resilient and tight-knit island community.

Directed and produced by Sanibel resident Laura DeBruce, the film features dramatic, first-hand footage from islanders who stayed during the Category 4 storm in 2022, which severed the Sanibel Causeway and left the island devastated. The film also examines the hurricane’s impact on the island’s ecosystems and wildlife.

As SCCF CEO James Evans explains in the film, two-thirds of Sanibel Island is held in conservation, much of it owned, maintained and protected by the SCCF.

DeBruce, a former SCCF trustee, interviewed Wildlife & Habitat Management Director Chris Lechowicz during a tour of the island’s interior, as well as Coastal Watch Director Kealy Pfau, who took the film crew into Tarpon Bay to describe the critical role that mangroves played in protecting Sanibel during the storm.

DeBruce also joined SCCF’s Sea Turtle Patrol on its morning rounds to search for turtle tracks and check on sea turtle nests where she learned that the hurricane had not negatively affected the nesting sea turtles. “We’re having a banner year,” said Coastal Wildlife Director Kelly Sloan. 

On Sanibel: The Hurricane Diaries is a deeply moving tribute to a community that refused to be defeated— shared by those who lived it. A critical part of that story, given Sanibel’s unique role as a nature sanctuary, is told by the representatives of SCCF.  

Event Details

What: Premiere of On Sanibel: The Hurricane Diaries
When: Thursday, May 15, 2025 | 3:00 PM
Where: Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center | Fort Myers, FL
Presented by: Fort Myers Film Festival

Tickets: http://sbdac.vbotickets.com/event/fmff_|_515_|_300pm_|_on_sanibel_the_hurricane_diaries/155802
General admission: $10. All-day and all-access passes are also available.

On Sanibel Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61563512172527

On Sanibel Trailer: https://www.facebook.com/61563512172527/videos/983090534031724

Starfish Lane Productions:  https://starfishlaneproductions.com/

About the Filmmaker

Laura DeBruce is an attorney, entrepreneur, and independent documentary filmmaker. A Sanibel resident since 2015, DeBruce serves on the Sanibel City Council and the board of Island Water Association.  She has previously served on the boards of Community Housing and Resources, Zonta, and SCCF, as well as the Sanibel Planning Commission.