The Columbia River Canoe Project made its Billings premiere at the Babcock Theatre on Saturday with show times at 3:00 and 6:00 p.m.
“I loved the idea of rivers being a connected travel system for indigenous peoples, for Lewis and Clark," said Robert Lester, the project lead and co-director.
The documentary chronicled Lester and his cousin, at the time 18-year-old, Braxton Mitchell, on a 52 day journey from the Columbia River in Butte, Montana to the Pacific Ocean.
“(Lester) was looking for a second horseman to go from Butte, Montana to the Pacific Ocean with him in a canoe - and I declined, and I have no regrets there after watching them do it for 52 days," said Ben Kaden, the film's cinematographer and one of four camera operators.
Having a movie make it to an audience is a dream come true according to Kaden.
“As cliche as it sounds, (this is) a full circle moment. Growing up, going to Warren Miller movies and stuff like that, knowing it was something I wanted to do – it’s super rewarding to be back here," said Kaden while at the Babcock.
Lester was originally inspired to make the trek and documentary by Tyler Stocich, a quadriplegic friend.
"I’ve known him for probably 15 years and I’ve never once seen the kid have a bad day," said Lester, "When someone who’s that inspiring to me told me that it was a trip worth doing, it was something that — I felt that it was kind of my duty to do it for him.”
While the trip was physically demanding enough to make the canoe riders lose more than a collective 20 pounds, Lester said overcoming how an audience understands the natural world is the true challenge.
“We’re showing you all of these beautiful places that we traveled through and some of those places have been tarnished and rebuilt," said Lester, "We understand that the river will never be completely wild and free flowing like it was, but that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t strive for it to be in the best possible condition that it can be in.”
Kaden, who runs Altitude Studios in Bozeman, Montana, said he and the other filmmakers hope to travel to Pico de Orizaba to ski a volcano next.
