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The Film An adventure documentary from the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan

A cinematic adventure -Robert Redford

Power of the River: Expedition to the Heart of Water in Bhutan

An adventure documentary from the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan. This little Buddhist nation, home to the world’s most ambitious commitment to protect nature, faces urgent pressure to dam every river. A man named "Good Karma" guides an expedition into the unknown to keep his country's mightiest river wild and free.

Even as his countrymen are pulling away from their roots toward the electric lure of the city, Karma "Good Karma" Tshering guides foreigners deep into Bhutan's wilderness. There he shares the wisdom of his culture—the very last of the fading Himalayan kingdoms—hoping it's not too late to rekindle reverence for our planet's wildest places. Karma hopes to keep one, just one, of his country's rivers undammed. A Buddhist, he doesn't even fish. It's a dangerous expedition onto unexplored whitewater. He has a wife, a young son, and a new baby. So why? And what makes him think he can succeed? In a land founded by a saint who rode a flying tiger, in a place where happiness is a higher goal than money, perhaps anything is possible. Through the exploits of Karma and his hand-picked international expedition team, Power of the River will plunge to the heart of what most threatens Earth's wild spaces—and what will most likely save them.

7 festival selections for Power of the River

Movie Trailer



Expedition Overview & Team

  • 25 days crossing Bhutan, including a nine-day float trip.
  • First-ever fishing access to an unexplored river.
  • An international team hailing from Bhutan to Seattle, New Delhi to New York.
  • Logged more than 80 hours footage and another 25 hours field audio.

CURRENTLY IN POST-PRODUCTION. We’re back from principal filming with 80 hours of stellar footage. We journeyed to a magical place, onto a wild river, and into the unknown—and have come back with the ingredients for an epic adventure story ... and much more.

Production Crew

The Issue New to democracy, Bhutan faces the world's toughest ecological decisions

“The wilderness holds answers to questions
man has not yet learned how to ask.”Nancy Newhall

Bhutan has sworn to protect 3 times more
forest cover than any other country.

India has inked deals to quadruple Bhutan’s dam capacity over the next decade. Hydropower quotas, at their current rate of growth, could require new dams on every last river in Bhutan.

“Democracy is new to Bhutan
and people still aren’t used to speaking out”journalist Tashi Dorji

Bhutan holds Gross National Happiness
as a higher goal than economic gain.
Is this foolish idealism or a noble cause?

The conservation dilemmas at the heart of Power of the River are larger than one kingdom. They cross every border, affecting people who have no idea what’s at risk (or how they can make a difference).

As other countries debate economics versus ecology,
Bhutan is in the precarious position to set
either an example or a cautionary tale for the world.

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Power of the River: Expedition to the Heart of Water in Bhutan
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