home > events > klamath river films
Klamath River Films & Documentaries
Two great documentaries on the Klamath River have recently been produced: Upstream Battle is touring film festivals with its German producers Ben Kempas and Magdalena Hutter; and author/playwright Stephen Most's River of Renewal took home the Best Documentary Feature at the American Indian Film Festival in 2008, and will air on public TV in fall 2008 (see below).
Klamath Riverkeeper has shown these films in Klamath Falls, Chiloquin, Yreka, Ashland, Mt. Shasta, Orleans, Happy Camp, Weaverville, Hoopa, Klamath and Arcata. If you'd like to host a showing in your community, contact us and we'll work on setting it up!
River of Renewal screens on public TV this fall!
See River of Renewal (description below) on the following times and stations (check your local listings for exact times).
- Sunday, October 25th, 11 pm: KOAB (Bend), KOAC (Corvallis), KEPB (Eugene), KTVR (La Grande), and OPB (Portland).
- Sunday, October 25th, 7 pm: KEET (Eureka)
- Sunday October 31st, 4 pm: KEET (Eureka)
- Monday November 2nd, 10 pm: KCTS (Seattle)
- Friday, November 6th, 9 pm: KVIE (Sacramento)
- Sunday, November 8, 7 pm: WGBH (Boston)
- Saturday, November 15, Time TBA: KQED (San Francisco and Salinas), KVIE (Sacramento), and KQET (Monterey).
- Thursday, November 19th, 10 pm: SOPTV (Medford)
There will be many other broadcasts elsewhere around the country, from LA to New York City, that are not yet scheduled. Some of these will be carried by PBS World and will be listed on that website. Complete listings will also be on the River of Renewal website after Oct. 25th.
River of Renewal
Director: Carlos Bolado, 54 Minutes
2008 American Indian Film Festival Winner, Best Documentary Feature
River of Renewal examines the water and wildlife crisis in the Klamath Basin—a bioregion as large as Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire combined. The communities that harvest food from the Klamath Basin—raising crops and cattle, catching salmon in the river and offshore—have all suffered due to the lack of enough water to serve the needs of irrigation and fisheries alike. The documentary explores the current crisis in its historical context by taking the viewers on a journey through the Klamath Basin. This is the journey of Jack Kohler. The son of a Welsh woman and a Yurok/Karuk Klamath River Indian, Kohler grew up in San Francisco. A traveler in the land of his ancestors, Jack Kohler combines an open mind with the ability to speak to people of diverse backgrounds and to explore the ever-growing crisis of the Klamath Basin.
>> more on River of Renewal
Upstream Battle
Director: Ben Kempas, 97 minutes
In this critically acclaimed film shown at film festivals worldwide, Klamath Native Americans fight for their fish - against an energy corporation. Their struggle may trigger the largest dam removal project in history.
>> more on Upstream Battle