Still River, Silent Jungle

"Still River, Silent Jungle" is a documentary, kayaking expedition, and movement that seeks to give a voice to a Bolivian region striving to protect its rainforest and wild rivers. This May, an international team of kayakers will descend the Tuichi River on a ten-day expedition to capture the stories of the remote Tuichi and Beni Rivers  in the Bolivian Amazon as told by the voices of the region. The film will weave together the story of whitewater kayak adventurers with a regional socio-environmental conflict as told by local tribes, conservationists, and national park researchers.

"Still River, Silent Jungle" highlights the Pilon Lajas and Madidi National Parks, which are threatened by the Chepete and Bala dams.  These dams would flood almost 1000 square km of these “protected” forests, force the relocation (and consequently the disintegration) of 53 indigenous communities and affect thousands more individuals along the Beni and Tuichi Rivers.  Few people know that plans of these hydropower projects even exist, yet they are just the start of a huge infrastructural undertaking by the nation’s energy sector. 

"Still River, Silent Jungle" works closely with local indigenous communities and organizations, Bolivian ecologists, and Madidi National Park to help tell the story of the conflict. Along the way down the river, the team will collect data for the Adventure Scientists "Global Pollinators Project" to help track pollinators and climate change around the globe. We are proudly partnered with organizations such as  Rivers for Change, and the Adventure Activist to help bring this film to broader audiences within and beyond Bolivian Borders. "Still River, Silent Jungle" will create a film that provides the opportunity for the people and the place to speak for themselves .  

Our goal is to raise $15,000 on top of the funds we have already raised in order to let these voices be heard. 

This money would be used to cover the minimum costs of running the project, which will take place May 21-June 24th, 2018 in Bolivia, and include the following expenses:
- Plane tickets and gear shipping for all four kayakers (who will also double as the media team) to Bolivia
- Vehicle rentals, road tolls, and shuttle while in Bolivia
- Room and board for the team while in the field   
- Compensation for community encounters 
- Visas and travel insurance
- Supplementary media equipment (batteries, SD cards, stabilizers, etc.)
- Park and film permit
- Rafting equipment to use for the river descent and then donate to the National Park after the descent

Any donations recieved above our ideal $20,000 mark (reaching $20,000 would allow us to pay for post-production) will be donated to Madidi National Park and to the Organization of Amazon Defense in Rurrenabaque (CODARURRE).

Every donation makes a difference to our project, no matter how big or small. We want to express our sincerest gratitude to those who are helping to make this project a reality.
THANK YOU!!!