For the Māori, the Whanganui River in New Zealand is a living being, their ancestor. This belief has been institutionalized by New Zealand law as of 2017, as a way of environmental protection for the river, legally validating the Māori worldview. Māori river guardian Ned Tapa invites a First Nations Elder from Australia and his daughter – activists dedicated to saving their own dying river back home – on a five-day canoe trip down this sacred river. Joining them are Ned’s friends and family and an international film crew. Both mirror and inspiration, the river – the main character of this film – organically unites all the travelers. I Am The River, The River Is Me is a call for unity and togetherness – the recognition that we are all, literally and metaphorically, in the same boat.
Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand 2024, '88
DIRECTOR: Petr Lom
CAMERA: Petr Lom
MONTAGE: Gys Zevenbergen NCE
MUSIC: Puoro Jerome, Georg Buljo
PRODUCERS: Corinne van Egeraat
PRODUCTION: ZINDOC, Whanganui River, Ten Thousand Images, KRO-NCRV/de Boeddhistische Blik
FESTIVALS & AWARDS:
Dili IFF: Best Film (2024) FINIFA: Best Documentary (2024) BIFED: Best Music (2024) Movies That Matter (2024) Millenium Docs Against Gravity (2024) Biografilm (2024) Cinemambiente (2024) Doc Edge (2024) AGAPE (2024) Films By The Sea (2024) Magnificent 7 (2024) Manifesta (2024) CineEco (2024) Innsbruck Nature FF (2024) Dokumentale (2024) BIFF (2024) Act One Cinema London (2024) Adelaide Film Festival (2024) This Human World (2024) Cinema Verite (2024) FIFO (2025) Big Sky Doc Fest (2025) HUMAN (2025)
Petr Lom
Petr Lom was born in Prague in 1968, grew up in Canada, and is now based in The Netherlands with his Dutch partner and producer Corinne van Egeraat. He received his Ph.D. in political philosophy from Harvard and was Associate Professor at George Soros’ Central European University in human rights and philosophy. In 2003, he became an independent documentary director and cinematographer specializing in human rights film. His award-winning films have been broadcast in over thirty countries and screened at more than four hundred and fifty film festivals around the world including Sundance, Berlinale, Locarno, Rotterdam, Venice and IDFA. His filmography: Bride Kidnapping in Kyrgyzstan (2004); On a Tightrope (2007); Letters to the President (2009); Back to the Square (2012); ANA ANA (“I am me” in Arabic, 2013); Burma Storybook (2017); Angels on Diamond Street (2019); Letter to San Zaw Htway (2021) and I Am The River, The River Is Me (2023). He was the storytelling coach and editor of Myanmar Diaries (2022) which won the 2022 Berlinale Documentary Award. He is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences (AMPAS).
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