Culture & Celebrity (audio video)

You've still got until September 29th to enter your film in the Wild & Scenic Film Festival and check for the tour in your area. One film on the tour, Source to Sea (US, 2006, Documentary, 90min by Andy Norris, Ralph Davis) follows heroic swimmer Christopher Swain's historic first: swimming all 1243 miles of the Columbia River over a six month period all the way from from the glacial headwaters in British Columbia down to the Pacific. While the headwaters are almost pure and the video after the jump features school children toasting Swain with goblets of river water, the majority of the river suffers from contamination and disrupted ecosystems which have contributed to the dislocation of people. Swain's intention is to raise awareness and to ensure that the river becomes "fishable, swimable and drinkable for future generations." The video is well-done, informative and inspiring as Swain chats with Neil Conan on NPR's Talk of the Nation.