A new short film from Oregon Public Broadcasting offers a look at a once-in-a-lifetime journey down one of the West’s most storied rivers.
First Descent: Kayaking the Klamath follows 28 Indigenous youth as they paddle the full 300-mile stretch of the Klamath River, from its headwaters to the Pacific Ocean, marking the first complete descent since four major dams were removed.
Directed by Karuk filmmaker Jessie Sears, the 30-minute documentary focuses on the identity, renewal, and the ongoing restoration of a river that has been the lifeblood of the Klamath Basin’s Indigenous nations.
“This film is not just a kayaking story,” Sears said in a press release. “It’s a story of Indigenous success and reconnection. It’s about coming home to the Klamath river, and the river coming home to itself.”
The journey was organized by Ríos to Rivers, a nonprofit that connects young people to waterways through education and cultural exchange. For many of the participants, the trip represented years of training and preparation, learning not only technical kayaking skills but also how to advocate for the rivers that sustain their communities.
For Sears, who had documented the historic Klamath dam removals, filming this expedition was both a professional and personal milestone.
“For far too long, Indigenous people, myself included, were afraid to be themselves,” Sears said. “It was incredibly inspiring to spend time with these youth who were pushing themselves physically while being unapologetically true to who they are.”
The film was produced by OPB’s Oregon Field Guide team, with cinematography by Sears, Brandon Swanson, and Evan Rodríguez, and editing by Swanson.
