IN an emotional and deeply relevant new documentary, YUMI – The Whole World, Pacific youth are at the center of a global climate justice movement that has now reached the world’s highest legal body.
Co-produced across seven countries and directed by German filmmaker Felix Golenko, YUMI follows the powerful journey of young law students from the University of the South Pacific (USP) who sparked a campaign that brought climate change before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Speaking at a screening hosted by the German Embassy in Suva, producer Mark Szilagyi said the film was born out of a student homework assignment that grew into a historic moment in international law.
“In 2019, at the USP campus in Vanuatu, students began theorizing that climate change should be approached from a human rights angle,” Szilagyi explained.
“They launched a campaign that eventually made it to the UN General Assembly, which voted unanimously to seek an advisory opinion from the ICJ on the legal obligations of states in the face of climate change.”
The first part of the documentary was completed as Golenko’s graduation film from the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg and culminates with the UN vote.
The second part, set to wrap following the court’s official advisory opinion expected on Thursday (tomorrow) morning will document the final steps of this extraordinary journey.
Lilieta Soakai, Project Officer with the campaign, emphasized the homegrown nature of the movement.
“This campaign wasn’t led by an NGO or a government. It was started by students concerned Pacific youth determined to change international law,” she said.
“What’s at stake is not just land or infrastructure, it’s our culture, our identity, our way of life that has existed for thousands of years.”
She described the film as “emotional but hopeful,” noting its importance as a story of youth-led resilience.
“When I first watched it, I cried. It reminded me of what we’re fighting for and who we’re fighting with,” Soakai said.
The campaign’s reach has been international in scope, involving students and advocates from Fiji, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Samoa, among others.
In the film, we see activists crisscross the globe from classrooms in Vanuatu to the halls of the UN in New York seeking to build consensus among world leaders.
Szilagyi highlighted the logistical and ethical complexities of filming across multiple Pacific nations and institutions like the UN and the ICJ.
“We shot in seven countries, at two UN sessions, and twice at the Hague. Permissions were tough to secure, and funding even tougher,” he said.
“But we always approached our work with deep respect. The protagonists even had veto power over the film we agreed we wouldn’t show it if they didn’t feel it portrayed their story truthfully.”
German broadcasters including SWR and cultural institutions like the Goethe-Institut and German Films helped bring the project to life, with support from the German Embassy for screenings across the Pacific.
The screening in Suva followed earlier events in Port Vila, including one held in the very USP classroom where the campaign first began bringing the journey full circle.
The ICJ’s advisory opinion, expected within hours, will clarify what legal obligations states hold in preventing climate change and what legal consequences may follow for failing to meet those duties.
“It’s a game-changer,” said Soakai.
“This could reshape how international law handles climate change and gives small nations legal tools to hold major polluters accountable.”
With YUMI, the Pacific is no longer waiting for change. The Pacific is leading change.