About the Film

Kids of the Gulf is a documentary film featuring 7-year-old Devon and 13-year-old Devin on their journey to the Gulf Coast to gather and share the stories of kids and families affected by the BP oil spill of 2010, along with what they are doing to adapt and recover.

We don’t hear much about the BP oil spill anymore, but that doesn’t mean that the recovery effort is anywhere close to being over.

“This oil spill is not over. It will be decades, I think, before we really understand the true impacts of the spill on the system.”
– Dr. Samantha Joye, UGA Marine Sciences, Jan. 26, 2011

Many residents in the region rely on the Gulf for survival and Kids of the Gulf will draw attention to the young people that live there and how their lives have been changed forever in the aftermath of this disaster. More importantly, it will draw attention to what they are doing to come together in the recovery effort.

Through these stories, we’ll also touch on the themes of dependence on oil, importance of conservation, and the role of renewable energy in the coastal economy moving forward.

The goal for Kids of the Gulf is to use exposure on network television, film festivals, and public screenings to share the uplifting stories of kids working with other kids on important environmental and social issues such as the BP oil spill.

We ultimately want to inspire other kids to speak up and take action on issues that are important to them in their own communities.

“Children are a wonderful gift. They are young and small persons with minds and ideas, hating to be talked down to. They have an extraordinary capacity to see into the heart of things and to expose sham and humbug for what they are.” – Desmund Tutu

About IS Foundation
The Ian Somerhalder Foundation’s mission is to empower, educate and collaborate with people and projects to positively impact the planet and its creatures. Ian Somerhalder, best known for his roles in hit TV shows Vampire Diaries and Lost started The IS Foundation in December 2010, which provided the connecting point for all of us to ultimately come together to create this film. Ian’s passion for the environment, animal habitat, and clean energy drew us all together, and IS Foundation continues to engage kids and youth in important work with environmental issues that impact people and wildlife around the world.

Kids of the Gulf is produced in friendship with IS Foundation, and 10% of the film’s proceeds will be proudly donated directly to ISF!