"Tidal River" is the second documentary exploring the James River from the filmmakers at Headwaters Down Productions. (Image courtesy Headwaters Down Productions)
A new documentary from Richmond-based filmmakers Headwaters Down Productions stars one of the city’s most treasured natural resources, the James River — for a second time. On Tuesday, Feb. 27, the film “Tidal River” will screen at The Byrd Theatre. It’s a follow-up to their 2021 eponymous film, “Headwaters Down,” where the production team set out for a 13-day canoe journey along the James.
“This is actually a sequel to the first film we made about the James River, where we did the first half of the James. ‘We’ is a group of five friends who became friends through the river,” says Will Gemma, the narrative script writer and a co-owner and co-founder of Headwaters Down Productions. “The first film is very much about us and showing how people can interact with the river in a meaningful way. The second film continues that journey but gets deeper into the environmental and civil history on the lower James River, which is very consequential and surprising.”
“Tidal River” explores the importance of the James, not just to the history of Virginia, and its environmental impact and deep connection with the Richmond community.
“We want to educate and inspire,” Gemma says. “For us, the big message is getting people to go to the river and have the experience themselves. You don’t have to be an adrenaline junkie, but you can just go for a walk by the river and have a really wonderful experience, and that creates a really personal bond for people, which [encourages them to take] ownership and care for this pretty amazing natural resource.”
“Tidal River” is not only a sequel, it’s also the second feature film Headwaters Down has produced. This time around, they had a larger budget and used upgraded equipment, trading their iPhones for film cameras, GoPros and drones.
“We learned a lot making the first one, both on the technical and story-crafting side. We just wanted to keep pushing that forward and continue learning,” says Dietrich Teschner, the cinematographer and another co-owner and co-founder of Headwaters Down Productions.
“We did want to improve the production value and the equipment,” Gemma says. “The first trip, we weren’t really sure if that was going to turn into a feature-length documentary. A lot of that footage was shot on iPhone. Even though we made it look really good and told a powerful story, it was shot more simply. We had a cinema camera out there and all that, but this trip we elevated things. It was all kinda shot on nicer [cameras], and we planned it out better.”
The team worked closely with multiple organizations, including the James River Association, to understand the river’s environmental impact and the history associated with it.
“The James River Association is a really wonderful nonprofit,” Gemma says. “They’re the only nonprofit that’s solely dedicated to restoring the river. They’ve been helping us for a long time just spreading the work that we’re doing and also [educating us].”
Headwaters Down received funding from multiple sources to produce the film, but kept 100% creative control of the documentary.
“That is an important thing for us, just from a journalistic standpoint, and while we did take on financial partners, I think the understanding there, too, is that they trust us with what we need to do to tell the truth of the river,” Teschner says.
“Tidal River” will screen at The Byrd Theatre on Feb. 27 at 7 p.m. A discussion with the production team will follow. Tickets cost $15. Post-event, Headwaters Down hopes to release the documentary for free views on their YouTube channel. For updates, visit instagram.com/headwatersdown.
