‘The American Southwest’: A new family-friendly wildlife film

Oct. 8

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The American Southwest is a family-friendly wildlife movie that takes viewers on an unforgettable journey down the mighty Colorado River. Narrated by Quannah Chasinghorse, the film “The American Southwest” beautifully showcases the region’s abundant wildlife, confronts the ecological impacts of dams and water overuse, and advocates for better management of the river.

The movie “The American Southwest” incorporates an indigenous storyline and is told through the perspective of some of the Southwest’s most charming characters… such as industrious beavers, bugling bull elk, and soaring condors.

Ryan Olinger, Director of Photography & Producer of “The American Southwest,” joined “Arizona Horizon” to talk more about the documentary itself.

A big production point for Olinger is that he wanted to be truly representative of what the Southwest is and what it represents, and that starts by acknowledging who first lived on these lands.

“It provides a level of respect that we need to make when we’re talking about this region and the Southwest,” Olinger said. “The Indigenous voice is powerful, and it’s something that needs to be heard.”

The film highlights the history of the Colorado River as well as how the river is currently being used, and how dams and overuse of water is impacting the river. While the story is meant to be inspiring, it is also a visually appealing story highlighting the wildlife that lives along the river.

“Making wildlife documentaries is extremely difficult. We don’t have the privilege of saying ‘action,'” Olinger said. “We always have to be on and ready to go, and a lot of that comes down to proper preparation as well as working with the right folks.”

For Olinger, the film turned out better than he could have anticipated. After three years of filming, and another year and a half of editing, Olinger hopes viewers fall in love with and appreciate the species we have in our backyard.