Drowned Land

Colleen Thurston/2025/83 Min/Environmental & Social Justice, Water, People & Cultures

Accessibility: OEFF commits to an ongoing effort to make our events as open and as accessible as possible. Our 2026 accessibility page is coming soon!

Rating, Audience & Advisory Info

  • Recommended age 15+

Synopsis: Drowned Land (2025) is a documentary directed by Choctaw filmmaker Colleen Thurston that follows Indigenous water protectors fighting to save the ecologically diverse Kiamichi River in Oklahoma. The film highlights the struggle against, and the cycle of, displacement and environmental exploitation, featuring stories of local advocacy to preserve a vital community lifeline.

Awards & Accolades

  • 2025 Circle Cinema Film Festival Winner: Best Documentary

  • 2025 deadCenter Film Festival Winner: Best Documentary

  • “Drowned Land makes it crystal clear—what’s flowing down the Kiamichi River isn’t just water but generations of pain, loss, and resilience.” - Alan Ng, Film Threat

Program Information: Arrive early when doors open, and stay after the film for enlightening facilitated dialogue with relevant experts and advocates. Additional program details appear below, inline with each screening description.

  • A One Earth Young Filmmakers Contest-winning film, Is It Worth It? (2025, 8 Min) by Summit Olson, will also be featured.

Columbia College - Film Row Cinema Tickets

1104 S Wabash Ave, 8th Floor, Chicago, IL 60605
Thursday 4/23/2026
Doors Open at 6:00 PM (CST). Film Starts Promptly at 6:30 (CST).
Free with a suggested $10 donation.
Facilitator, panelist, and other program details are forthcoming soon.