Films A-Z
Upstream Battle
Upstream Battle
Ben Kempas / Germany / 2008 / 97 min.
To the indigenous inhabitants of northern California, who fish salmon in its silvery undulating waters, the Klamath River is a house of prayer. Their life, however, has been disrupted by the construction of four reservoirs in the river's upper reaches for hydroelectric power plants. This means fish cannot naturally migrate upstream where they regularly spawn. Moreover, the power plants pollute the river with dangerous toxins that are generated in the stagnant waters of the reservoirs. Consequently, members of several Native American tribes are fighting the company that operates the power plants. Their efforts have to be redoubled when a joint-stock company becomes the new owner of the plant, which makes it very hard to insist on corporate responsibility... Ben Kempas's documentary does not simply portray a quixotic battle waged by a few individuals against condescending businessmen, but also raises the issue of the plight of ethnic minorities in a remorseless capitalist system and in a society where people are still judged according to the colour of their skin. What rights are now enjoyed by the indigenous people who have a historical claim to the land? To what extent is their way of life incomprehensible or attractive to others?