I am the river, the river is me

Māori river guardian Ned Tapa takes filmmakers, international water advocates, and activists on a canoe journey along the Whanganui River in Aotearoa, New Zealand. Stretching over 320 kilometers, the river is the first in the world to be recognized as a legal person. For more than 150 years, the Māori people have fought passionately to protect their sacred lifeline. Along this spiritual waterway, the travelers share stories of resistance, destruction, and healing. Guided by the spirit of the river as companion and narrator, the film reflects on Indigenous wisdom, the interconnectedness of all life, and the global movement for the rights of nature. A call to rethink our values and our relationship to nature and community — for the well-being of all future life on Earth.

Film discussion with
Prof. Dr. Klement Tockner, freshwater ecologist, Director General of the Senckenberg Society for Nature Research
Dr. Jula Zenetti, Department of Environmental and Planning Law, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research GmbH, Leipzig
Christina Budde, naxos.Kino