Winding its way through southeastern Oklahoma, the Kiamichi River is a bastion of ecological diversity. Already twice-dammed, the state of Oklahoma and a Texas corporation continue to try to commodify the remaining water and build a hydropower plant on the small river. For a group of locals, this isn’t just a fight for a river; it is a lifelong reckoning with the cycle of land theft and displacement that began with the Trail of Tears. Now, in a region where the community relies on the Kiamichi’s ecosystem for subsistence, taking the water out of the watershed could mean yet another relocation.

The narrative arc follows the river as its main character—witnessing the ebb and flow of its life-giving ability through the seasons, and the detrimental impact caused by damming and development projects. The director, Colleen, explores the effects of her grandfather's work designing dams for the Army Corps of Engineers, her tribe’s ongoing struggles with resource exploitation, and how it shapes her reconciliation of the past with the present.

Interwoven are the stories of the river’s advocates—residents, Choctaw culture-keepers, and scientists—who have come together to save the river and initiate a paradigm shift grounded in ideals of rematriation and the rights of Nature, reinforcing a commitment to end the cycle of disconnection from our land.

Director Biography 

Colleen Thurston is a documentary storyteller, producer and film curator from Tulsa, Oklahoma. She has created non-fiction film and videos for the Smithsonian Channel, Vox, and museums, public television, and federal and tribal organizations. Her work has screened at international film festivals and broadcast nationwide. Grounding her practice in place-based narratives, her films intertwine Indigenous world views and exploratory artistic approaches.