Award-Winning Documentarian Colleen Thurston to return to Ouray with Drowned Land
Drowned Land screens on Saturday, June 21, from 10am-12pm
In 2023, Choctaw filmmaker Colleen Thurston came to OIFF as the festival’s Scholar-in-Residence. This summer, she’s returning to Ouray with her new film Drowned Land as the final installment in OIFF’s Science on Screen® Series, an initiative of the Coolidge Corner Theatre, with major support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
After a three-city premiere in Sante Fe, Los Angeles, and Washington DC in March, Thurston’s film will screen during OIFF 2025 on June 21. The documentary explores efforts to protect Oklahoma’s Kiamichi River, a thriving ecosystem under threat. The movie gives a voice to “the stories of the river’s advocates—residents, Choctaw culture-keepers and scientists—who have come together to save the river and initiate a paradigm shift grounded in ideals of rematriation and rights of Nature, reinforcing a commitment to end the cycle of disconnection from our land.”
“We couldn’t be happier that Colleen will be with us again in Ouray,” says co-founder Jared LaCroix. “When she came to speak to our audiences in 2023, she screened a five-minute sneak preview of what would become Drowned Land. The fact we get to bring the completed film back to OIFF is such a gift to our festival community.”
Thurston’s return to OIFF will be the centerpiece of a multi-sector festival program focused on Water Education in Ouray County. The program brings together Ouray High School students and faculty to help chart a Youth Water Plan informed by film, education, and conversations with leaders from Uncompahgre Watershed Partnership. In addition to the generous support of Science on Screen®, this screening event is made possible by additional grants from Redline Creative District and the San Miguel Power Association.
“It’s exciting to close out our inaugural Science on Screen® season with this film that means so much to us,” adds LaCroix. “The support from the Coolidge Corner Theater and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation have allowed us to bring this new program to our region. The response has been tremendous, and we’re grateful for what this grant has made possible for our festival.”
Additional Support From:
