A film about the NORTH AMERICAN WEST
A musical tribute to LAND and WATER
A cautionary tale about the ENVIRONMENT
The Colorado River has cut through canyons, cultures, and centuries. Here are nine chapters in its fast-flowing journey.
For five million years the Colorado has carved some of the most majestic landscapes on the planet. It has also become the lifeline of a vast portion of North America, providing the water that sustains nearly forty million people, half a dozen major cities, and an immense agricultural empire. Because of these demands, the river is so overused and overpromised that it no longer flows to the sea or nourishes its delta. The Colorado, set to music by today’s leading composers and narrated by the stage legend Mark Rylance, takes us on a journey in nine chapters through the prehistoric settlements of the region, the period of European exploration, the dam-building era, modern industrial agriculture and immigration, and the impact of climate change. The Grammy-winning vocal ensemble Roomful of Teeth, cellist Jeffrey Zeigler (Kronos Quartet), and composer-percussionist Glenn Kotche (Wilco) perform the film’s exhilarating score.
Feature Documentary / United States / 90 minutes
Director
Murat Eyuboglu
Writers
William deBuys and Murat Eyuboglu
Narrator
Mark Rylance
Producer
National Sawdust
Cinematographers
Murat Eyuboglu, Sylvestre Campe, Dean Eldrige
Editor
David Sarno
Composers
John Luther Adams, William Brittelle, Glenn Kotche,
Shara Nova, Paola Prestini
Performers
Roomful of Teeth, Brad Wells, director
Glenn Kotche, percussion
Jeffrey Zeigler, cello
"visually captivating and unsettling"
"performed by some of the most innovative soundsmiths around"
"A multidimensional portrait... alternately spectral, dazzling, ugly, and phenomenal."
"a striking, thoughtful and cautionary piece of art"
"sight and sound at the height of their power"
April 21
Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, Film Version
March 18
The Kennedy Center, Washington DC, Live Version
March 6
Illinois Wesleyan University, Film Version
October 6
Colegio de Educación Profesional Técnica
Universidad Tecnológica de San Luis Río Colorado
Universidad Estatal de Sonora
San Luis Río Colorado, Sonora, Mexico, Film Version
October 5
Biblioteca Pública Central Estatal de Mexicali
Festival de Octubre
Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico, Film Version
September 28
Taos Environmental Film Festival, Taos, NM, Film Version
September 8
Golden Tree International Documentary Film Festival
Frankfurt am Main, Film Version
September 6
Prochnow Auditorium, Flagstaff, AZ, Film Version
May 11-July 20
Jean Cocteau Cinema, Santa Fe, NM, Film Version
April 21-22
Stanford Live, Palo Alto, CA, Live Version
April 7
NHTI Film Society, Concord, NH, Film Version
April 2
Wisconsin Film Festival, Madison, WI, Film Version
March 18
Environmental Film Festival in the Nation’s Capital,
Washington DC, April Film Version
May 18
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY, Live Version
April 12
Da Camera, Houston, TX Live Version
