Jessie Sears and Coley Miller join the Exchange. Jessie is a native filmmaker from the Karuk tribe who documented a group of indigenous youth who became the first people to navigate the Klamath River from its source to the sea following the largest dam removal project in history. Coley is a Klamath Tribe member who participated in the river journey.
The new film, titled "First Descent," is featured by Oregon Public Broadcasting.
ABOUT THE FILM
“First Descent” captures the transformation underway not just to the Klamath River itself – where sections of river are now flowing freely for the first time in more than a century – but among the Indigenous communities that have lived in the Klamath Basin since time immemorial. In the 30-minute documentary, director Jessie Sears, a member of the Karuk tribe, and cinematographer Brandon Swanson share the hardship, comradery, and deep connection the 28 Indigenous youth experience over the course of the 300-mile, 30-day river expedition, as they become the first people to paddle the entire Klamath River from source to sea since four major dams were removed.
