Kaira Villanueva, a Columbia University graduate in Human Rights, worked with the Atlantic City Arts Foundation to produce a short documentary film, combined with an augmented reality mural, about the consistent floodings that occur in Atlantic City. The film is part of the New Jersey Coastal Resilience Program, which brings awareness to NJ residents about coastal hazards and other natural hazards that may occur in our state. Villanueva reached out to many residents and business owners in the city, giving them the chance to share their voices and experiences, and how they adapt to the recurring floods that batter Atlantic City.

On Thursday, November 16, 2023, Villanueva joined the Stockton community on Zoom to not only present her documentary to students and professors but to also host a workshop prior to the screening, giving students ideas and understandings about the creative process. The information covered during the workshop was left on the board in the classroom, giving the attendees a hint of what process she used to create her film.

One resident expressed his reactions and experiences with the city floods. His basement was flooded and he and his family lost many precious items, many of which were from Mexico. Whenever it rains heavily, the residents must be on high alert in case the rain turns into a flood. He talked about how his sister took a picture of him carrying groceries and walking on the side of the street instead of the sidewalk since the water was too deep. His car was also practically sunken in water, but he managed to drive safely, and the car survived the flood.

Paul Stewart, owner of Cozy Cohost, stated that he “loves Atlantic City,” and that his business had flooded four times since opening. Now expecting the frequent floods, the whole business is always on guard with supplies at the ready.

Milton Glen, who works at the Absecon Lighthouse, has found many drains completely clogged with sand and gunk left over from the floods. The blockages were so thick that they would harden like cement, forcing workers to use drill bits and large trucks to open the drains back up. Another employee, simply known as “Buddy,” has lived in Atlantic City since 1956, marking 67 years of residence. Having lived in the city for so long, he experienced many floods that would even fill the entire first floor of the lighthouse. Rain at high tide brings a lot of anxiety to Atlantic City residents.

The Atlantic City Arts Foundation was established to expand visual and cultural identity, so art can be used as a tool for communication. The Foundation aided Kaira in filming and completing her documentary, giving voices to many Atlantic City residents, and showing the resiliency and trust in their community.

Villanueva had mixed feelings about sharing her first professional film to the public. She stated, “I feel a little awkward; there’s so many moments I could’ve improved a lot on. But that’s part of the [creative] process.” Villanueva had over 10 hours of footage, which was shortened to only about 25 minutes in the final cut, after a very long and hard editing process on Adobe Premiere Pro.

While the documentary was about flooding in Atlantic City, there wasn’t any footage of actual floods—only showing the city in a peaceful state, without the risk of water. When asked about this decision, Villanueva responded that she wanted to focus more on the people and their voices and personal stories, rather than the floods themselves.

Dr. Christy Goodnight, an Assistant Professor of Business Studies and Management at Stockton, loved the film. “Kaira’s documentary was really impactful,” Goodnight stated. “It showed how people felt about the flooding issues in Atlantic City, and having lived in an area of New Jersey that flooded as well, I totally empathized with the folks in the film… The filming quality was top-notch. I’m not saying that lightly; I’ve done a lot of documentary screenings and used to go to the Sundance Film Festival. She did a really good job with this.”

Professor Erin O’Hanlon, a Teaching Specialist in Communication Studies, also hosting the event, liked how Villanueva didn’t show actual flooding scenes in the film. “She really wanted people to focus on that shared experience of the individuals— clearly, it hit home,” O’Hanlon commented. “She is a mere few years older than most students here, and she has a lot of talent.”