River of Grass

River of Grass, dir. Sasha Wortzel, 2025, USA, 83 min. 💖
Sunday, June 22, 2025, 3:30 pm, New Parkway, Oakland

River of Grass

Marjorie Stoneman Douglas came to south Florida in the early 20th century to get a divorce from her con man husband. She stayed and fell in love with the Everglades, publishing The Everglades: River of Grass in 1918, but she wasn’t the first to call it that: it’s a literal translation of the Miccosukee name. The Miccosukee and the Seminoles understood the yearly cycle of the Everglades and the way that everything including the floods played an important role in the ecosystem. Not long after, Marjorie began advocating for the Everglades to be protected, but the declaration of a national park didn’t come until 1947.

In the post-World War II United States, the swamp was viewed by many as an impediment to Development and Progress. They built levees around Lake Okeechobee (also a vital part of the Everglades ecosystem) and drainage canals to take the “excess” water out to sea. Extensive modern farming leads to chemical runoff into the lake. This ecological mismanagement has led to increasingly frequent and severe algae blooms in the lake, which in turn feed the devastating Red Tides when the algae-laden water reaches the Gulf of Mexico. Other projects that were once planned including building a new airport 20 miles west of Miami; thankfully, that one didn’t happen.

Another threat to the Everglades is one particular invasive species: the Burmese python. Brought as pets and then let loose in the wild, either by people or by the impact of hurricanes, the python has no natural predators, so their population has multiplied exponentially. Already, the pythons have eliminated all furry animals from the Everglades, and they are now working on the birds and even alligators. Without the alligators, the entire ecosystem would collapse; they are what is known as a “keystone” species.

River of Grass combines archival footage of Marjorie Stoneman Douglas with the stories of present-day activists, including indigenous people and other friends of the Everglades. Some go on prayer walks to connect to the history and the spiritual energy of the land; others go out at night and hunt down pythons. It’s a powerful call to action to preserve an ecosystem that is literally unique in the entire world, before it’s too late. Must see.

Director Sasha Wortzel also made the shorts 👏 How to Carry Water (Frameline47, 2023) and 💖 Happy Birthday, Marsha! (Frameline42, 2018).

• IMDb • trailer • official website: RiverOfGrassFilm.com • Instagram: @RiverOfGrassDoc •