The 2000-kilometre Columbia River flows through the heart of the Pacific Northwest, beginning its journey in British Columbia’s Rocky Mountains and emptying into the Pacific Ocean in Oregon. This transboundary river is critically important for its cultural, social, economic, and ecological values. Telling the story of this majestic river, Changing Course: A River's Journey of Reconnection offers a deep sense of the importance of freshwater management-and the complexities added when a river flows across human-defined borders.
The film explores the degradation of what was once one of the most productive salmon rivers in the world. It looks at the dams and storages that eliminated wild salmon from the main stem of the river in Canada, and how this loss cut the heart out of Indigenous culture throughout the basin. The film also touches on the Columbia River Treaty, which came into force between Canada and the United States in 1964. At the time, it had a very narrow focus on flood control and hydropower. Sixty years later, however, new thinking is needed to ensure a sustainable future for this important river.
In Changing Course: A River's Journey of Reconnection, leading voices from Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities eloquently express the need for new approaches to water management and governance that are more connected to nature, account for climate change, and meaningfully include First Nations leadership.
Production Team:
Jon O’Riordan - Director/Producer
Jon obtained an MA degree in Geography from the University of Edinburgh and a PhD from the
University of British Columbia and worked in the public service throughout his career first with
the Federal Government and then with the Province of British Columbia. He completed his full-
time work as Deputy Minister for the Ministry of Sustainable Resource Management. After
leaving government, he taught a graduate course in Resource Planning and Public Policy at UBC
and has since undertaken research on watershed governance for the Polis Project on Ecological
Governance at University of Victoria and on climate change adaptation at Simon Fraser
University, Vancouver, BC. He is the founder of the Gail O’Riordan Climate and the Arts Legacy
Series.
Frances Litman - Co-Producer/Narrator
Since founding the Creatively United for the Planet Society (CreativelyUnited.org) in 2012,
Frances Litman has helped bring more than 10,000 people together in person to showcase and
share positive solutions that foster healthy, happy and more resilient communities. Through
multiple zero-waste sustainability showcases, numerous live events, educational talks,
collaborative partnerships and creative connections, a video series, plus CreativelyUnited.org’s
free community information network, resource and solutions sharing hub, Frances continues to
forward transformational possibilities for a more just and sustainable world benefitting all.
Bohdan Doval - Filmmaker
Bohdan Doval is a cinematographer from the small town of Nelson, BC. He has experience
shooting documentaries, tourism campaigns, commercials and sports. Bohdan grew up in an
environment surrounded by nature and continues to source his inspirations from the natural
world in the work he does. bohdandoval.com/
creativelyunited.org