Behind the Scenes on "Drowned Land" with Director Colleen Thurston

Colleen Thurston discusses behind the scenes from her film with The Joys / Perils / Humor of Filmmaking.

On "The Joys/Perils/Humor of Filmmaking": While filming the feature documentary “Drowned Land,” Director Colleen Thurston wanted to showcase the diversity of the animal life in the Ouachita Mountains and around the Kiamichi River in Oklahoma, including the active black bear population.

A few missed shots and a wild bear chase later, they did catch a bear on film—but not in the way they expected!

“Drowned Land” is a 2021 Vision Maker Media Public Media Fund awardee. The in-production feature documentary shares the stories of a group of water protectors deep in the Choctaw Nation of rural Oklahoma, determined to preserve the lifeline of their community and end a cycle of environmental exploitation on the Kiamichi River.