Synopsis
“River Ways” explores the lives of regular working people affected by the issue of whether to remove four
dams on the Snake River in Eastern Washington. Environmental groups and fishing interests criticize
the dams for their negative impact on salmon populations, but agricultural communities
dependent on the dams oppose efforts to remove them. Combining interviews with careful everyday
observation, “River Ways” takes us into the world of wheat farmers, fishermen, salmon advocates and
more. What emerges is a complex portrait of an issue that reaches to the heart of the ideological
differences that characterize and divide the Pacific Northwest.


Prizes and Awards
Best International Documentary Everglades International Film Festival, September 2007
Best Feature by a Northwest Filmmaker Eugene International Film Festival, October 2007
Conservation Award BendFilm Festival, October 2007
Best Environmental Film Astoria International Film Festival, October 2007
Runner-up, Audience Favorite Tallgrass Film Festival, October 2007
Nominated, Best Documentary Treasure Coast International Film Festival, February, 2008
Nominated, Best Editing Treasure Coast International Film Festival, February, 2008
Nominated, Big Sky Award Big Sky Documentary Film Festival, February, 2008
Nominated, Best Documentary Mid-Valley Video Festival, February, 2008
Best Endangered Species and Habitat EarthVision Environmental Film Festival, March, 2008
Honorable Mention for Best Documentary Bare Bones International Film Festival, April, 2008
Winner, Silver Award for Documentary Tenerife International Film Festival, April, 2008
Best of Fest Hazel Wolf Environmental Film Festival, May, 2008
Honorable Mention for Compelling Issue International Wildlife Film Festival, May, 2008
Nominated, Best Documentary Feature Southern Winds Film Festival, September, 2008
Nominated, A Seriously Good Movie Southern Winds Film Festival, September, 2008