REQUIEM FOR A RIVER
by Mary Patierno
Requiem for a River explores the New Mexico stretch of the Rio Grande—an iconic but endangered American waterway—in a time of climate change and puts out a call for environmental justice. Created by veteran producer Mary Patierno, this visually poetic documentary uses lyrical imagery and in-depth interviews with a range of residents—Native, Latinx, Indo-Hispanic, and Anglo—to reveal the once-mighty river’s role as a lifeline in the desert. Does the key to a more sustainable, equitable future lie in New Mexico’s ancient past?
Requiem for a River’s central character is the Río Grande itself; its story one that river communities throughout the world face amid increasing climate uncertainty, and a reckoning for social justice. Gently edited, lean interviews narrate the image-driven tale, taking us deep into the daily experiences of characters whose lives, cultures, and futures are all tied to the Río Grande: Indigenous Pueblo peoples for whom the river is sacred; urban environmental activists fighting for water justice; acequia-keepers who maintain communal irrigation systems built by their Spanish ancestors; a conservative white farmer who fears government restrictions on his water-intensive crops—and even a newly elected member of the United States Congress who argues that now is the time for collaboration and meaningful change.
