Explore the Southwest’s most important river in ‘The Colorado’

Watch “The Colorado,” an epic film about North America’s wildest river, next airing on Arizona PBS Thursday, Mar. 10 at 3 p.m. Arizona PBS members with Passport access can log in to stream the film anytime.

Narrated by Academy Award-winning actor Mark Rylance, “The Colorado” is a sweeping exploration of the river’s history, from the earliest settlements in the region to the impact of climate change today. The film also tells the stories of European and Anglo-American explorations in the 18th and 19th centuries, the dam-building era and its consequences, agriculture, immigration and the fate of the river’s delta in Mexico.

Rylance is familiar to Arizona PBS viewers from his starring role in the “Masterpiece” series “Wolf Hall.”

Five critically acclaimed composers — William Brittelle, Glenn Kotche, Shara Nova, Paola Prestini, and recent Pulitzer and Grammy winner John Luther Adams — also add their unique voices to this narrative. The one-of-a-kind score is masterfully performed by Grammy-laureate vocal ensemble Roomful of Teeth, percussionist Glenn Kotche (of the popular band Wilco) and cellist Jeffrey Zeigler (formerly with the Kronos Quartet).

To tell the river’s full story, director Murat Eyuboglu and three-time Emmy-laureate filmmaker Sylvestre Campe filmed across the vast geographical region over a period of four years. “The Colorado River Basin extends from the high mountains of Wyoming and Colorado all the way to the Sea of Cortez in Mexico,” Eyuboglu said. “Striving to capture the character and grandeur of this geography was as inspirational as it was humbling.”

MORE: Support Arizona PBS and select this program to get the DVD/Blu-Ray of this program along with the beautiful hardcover book “The Colorado River.”