Investigative film shows people’s power and want to make change

Emily Eisert, Opinion editor

Students and faculty learned about the war over water in the Klamath River in the film “A River Between Us.”

In a showing and talk on Tuesday, filmmaker and former senator Jason Atkinson presented the film to a filled ICE Auditorium. Atkinson explained that this film was not political, but about the people affected by the water issue.

“If you heal people, they will heal the river,” said Atkinson.

The film discussed the issue over water in the Klamath River and how it took groups on two opposite sides to come together and compromise to create an agreement that would benefit all parties.

The big conflict was between the native tribes who need the water for fishing and the farmers who need the water to irrigate their crops.

After opinion leaders came together, they found that they had more in common than they realized.

By acknowledging another way of living and realizing that they needed the water for similar reasons, they were better able to understand the other side.

The native tribes took their fish to the potato festival put on by the farmers, which solidified their understanding and appreciation of each other.

They then began to work together to create the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement (KRBA), which would be a large restoration project that includes removing four dams.

The KRBA was signed in 2010, but has been in a standstill ever since.

Congress must vote to pass this bill in the next three weeks or the whole deal will fall apart.

The agreement was made with an expiration date and if the agreement expires, necessary parties may reconsider the whole thing.

Atkins says that this film is a way to motivate people to take action on this issue.

“My hope is that you will fall in love with the people,” said Atkinson.

He got involved with this project as a politician but chose to leave in order to make a change in a place he had done politics.

This film showed that politics begins with people and that the people effected are often the ones who have to make the change.

In the talk after the film, Atkinson explained how this film is being used to make change.

He explained that there is a national campaign behind the film and has been brought to the attention of the president.

This film and talk showed the power people have, particularly when they work together, to make change.