
-
Cece King, Director
-
Elsa Hana Chung, Producer
-
Camilla Marchese González, Producer

About the Project
One Island’s worldview could save the world.
“There is a saying, ’God willing,’ but on the Island you say ‘Island willing,’ as if the Island were an entity...We treat the Island as a person.”
Chile's Robinson Crusoe Island–where the sailor once washed ashore–is home to 61 times more endemic plant species than the Galápagos. SI LA ISLA QUIERE ("Island Willing") is an ensemble portrait that immerses audiences in a radical culture of stewardship through intimate vignettes that tell the Island's story. Against the backdrop of a culture in crisis that has pushed our climate to the brink, this film shows what it means to live with nature.
Director Cece King lived on the Island in the Fall of 2023 and over time developed this project in conjunction with the families she was living with, grounding the story in this deep sense of connection. As the only non-islander working on the production, Cece collaborated with friends and participants as drone operators, sound recordists, dive safety leads, and more to create this film.
“I learned Robinson Crusoe Island was first called Santa Cecilia. I cannot help but feel a sacrosanct connection to the island with whom I share a name and to the family I found, who brought me back to nature…and myself” - Cece King
Director / Producer / DP: Cece King
Executive Producers: Tom Yellin, Debi Wisch, Amie Rappoport McKenna, Anne-Marie Keane
Producer: Elsa Hana Chung
Co-Producer: Camilla Marchese Gonzalez
Editor: Cristina Carrasco Hernandez
Writers: Cece King, Cristina Carrasco Hernandez, Camilla Marchese Gonzalez, Elsa Hana Chung
Drone Cinematography: Kenneth Torres de Rodt and Charles Nelson Acevedo
Additional Cinematography: Kenneth Torres de Rodt, Charles Nelson Acevedo, German Recabarren Bordones, Gloria Bermudez Valdebenito, Ignacio Fuentes