Film Info55 minutes
Elwhafilm LLC Available for Free AND Ticketed events Synopsis: Return of the River explores the largest dam removal and river restoration project on the planet. The film follows a coalition of people who attempt the impossible: to change the opinion of a town and eventually the nation to bring two dams down. A divided community comes to consensus, launching an unprecedented restoration effort. A documentary infused with hope, Return of the River offers inspiration amid grim environmental news, showing how an idea moved from "crazy" to celebrated reality. Reviewed as "hell-raising documentary filmmaking at its best", Return of the River has been recognized with a dozen festival awards. Action Items
Filmmaker Q & AWhat inspired this story?
It’s rare to encounter an environmental story infused with hope and human possibility, and the Elwha River offers both. As filmmakers, we were witnesses to a remarkable journey: a river set free after a century, a project unprecedented in scale, an unlikely success story for environmental and cultural restoration. We were inspired by the tenacity of salmon, as well as the tenacity of people who fought for them. |
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Describe some of the challenges faced while making this film?
The biggest challenge was funding the project in a timely manner, given the urgency of unfolding events. We were determined to document the largest dam removal on earth. As independent filmmakers, we turned to kickstarter early on - launching the film with an average donation of $70.
What impact do you hope this film will have?
We hope this film will be an invitation to consider crazy ideas that could transform the world for the better, by showing how a proposal to remove two dams moved from ‘crazy’ to celebrated reality. Fundamentally the film explores how change happens. In the words of Senator Bill Bradley:
"Here, in the success of our collective action on the Elwha, is a template for success on climate change, energy policy, ocean conservation… and hundreds of other issues. It will be the great gift of the Elwha: Hope."
More specifically, we trust that the ongoing successful restoration of the Elwha River will offer a model for river advocates everywhere, as communities around the world consider the fate of their rivers.
How do you approach science storytelling?
Good science storytelling starts with good storytelling. I begin with curiosity and my belief in the power of story. Conflict, authenticity, emotion and characters are just as important to science storytelling as any other genre. To give one example from the many science topics addressed in Return of the River: How to make river sediment relevant to a general audience? When sediment starvation starves a tribe of shellfish, and creates a lunar landscape– sediment transport matters. Marine derived nutrients, the salmon cycle; all were introduced via a very human story of conflict and unintended consequences.
What were the biggest influences on how you approached writing this project?
The film is woven from many voices, designed to reveal a conflict from multiple perspectives. Yet in the writing process, one missing voice kept appearing in my head: a voice for the land & the river itself. Ultimately, I took a risk and gave the river a voice in the film, despite deep doubts about personification. The film’s “instigating incident” is the building of a dam - a river literally falls silent, drowned beneath a growing reservoir. I brought this missing voice to the screen, because it remains a missing voice in so many human stories.
The biggest challenge was funding the project in a timely manner, given the urgency of unfolding events. We were determined to document the largest dam removal on earth. As independent filmmakers, we turned to kickstarter early on - launching the film with an average donation of $70.
What impact do you hope this film will have?
We hope this film will be an invitation to consider crazy ideas that could transform the world for the better, by showing how a proposal to remove two dams moved from ‘crazy’ to celebrated reality. Fundamentally the film explores how change happens. In the words of Senator Bill Bradley:
"Here, in the success of our collective action on the Elwha, is a template for success on climate change, energy policy, ocean conservation… and hundreds of other issues. It will be the great gift of the Elwha: Hope."
More specifically, we trust that the ongoing successful restoration of the Elwha River will offer a model for river advocates everywhere, as communities around the world consider the fate of their rivers.
How do you approach science storytelling?
Good science storytelling starts with good storytelling. I begin with curiosity and my belief in the power of story. Conflict, authenticity, emotion and characters are just as important to science storytelling as any other genre. To give one example from the many science topics addressed in Return of the River: How to make river sediment relevant to a general audience? When sediment starvation starves a tribe of shellfish, and creates a lunar landscape– sediment transport matters. Marine derived nutrients, the salmon cycle; all were introduced via a very human story of conflict and unintended consequences.
What were the biggest influences on how you approached writing this project?
The film is woven from many voices, designed to reveal a conflict from multiple perspectives. Yet in the writing process, one missing voice kept appearing in my head: a voice for the land & the river itself. Ultimately, I took a risk and gave the river a voice in the film, despite deep doubts about personification. The film’s “instigating incident” is the building of a dam - a river literally falls silent, drowned beneath a growing reservoir. I brought this missing voice to the screen, because it remains a missing voice in so many human stories.
