Mary Bruno spent her childhood fearing the polluted stretch of the Passaic River near her home. Decades later, she returns to rediscover the river of her youth. AMERICAN RIVER is a cinematic adventure that follows Ms. Bruno and river guide Carl Alderson on a 4 ‐day, 80‐mile kayak journey from the Passaic’s pristine headwaters to its toxic mouth in Newark Bay. Along the way, candid conversations with residents, experts and advocates reveal the Passaic's extraordinary history, geology and ecology: How did this powerful and once‐celebrated river become one of the most contaminated in America? Can it be saved?

Live Q&A follows the screening with Director Scott Morris, Author Mary Bruno and Restoration Ecologist Carl Alderson

Three years in the making, AMERICAN RIVER was directed by seasoned filmmaker Scott Morris and based on Ms. Bruno’s 2012 book, An American River: From Paradise to Superfund. Like the book, the film is a unique blend of personal memoir, adventure, history, and science. 

Mary and Carl explore the Passaic’s beauty, navigate its many twists and turns, and pass through cities and towns including Paterson as they head towards the industrial disaster that poisoned the Passaic for the past 60 years. 

The entire journey was captured in both grand and intimate scale from the water, land, and air by an experienced crew with ten 4K cameras. Mary and Carl’s dynamic personalities and engaging commentary bring insight, urgency, and humor to every scene. 

An original score, graphic animation, and rare archival images enrich the story. The production team includes Director of Photography Roger Grange, Producer Kelly Sheehan and Composer Ben Morris. 

S. Dillard Kirby is the Executive Producer; AMERICAN RIVER is his second film project with Scott Morris. 

Scott’s previous film, “Saving The Great Swamp: Battle to Defeat the Jetport,” premiered at MPAC in 2016.

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