Where the River Enters the Sea

Where the River Enters the Sea (1982) is a 30-minute documentary produced as a public service by SOHIO for the NANA Corporation, a Native Alaska regional organization. The film was made to help foster understanding of the modern Iñupiat Inuit family (referred to as “Eskimos”) way of life, and the challenges they face living in a contemporary society while retaining much of their traditional culture. ^[1]

In the fictionalized story, the members of an Eskimo family in a remote Alaskan village discuss the challenges of adapting to Western culture while preserving their traditions. The film weighs the fulfillment of age-old ways of life against the benefits of joining the Western cash economy, and advances the contention that a compromise is possible.

“Where the River Enters the Sea,” won a “Classic Telly” award in 2004, in a national competition honoring non-network programs and commercials from the past 25 years.

The story is built around the death of Peter, Noah’s grandfather and a respected village elder. The camera follows members of Noah’s family as they attend the funeral and return to their everyday lives.

Old ways and new ways are woven throughout. Peter teaches his grandson, Walter, traditional skills of ice fishing and hunting. Water studies in a contemporary school, and, in his home, watches TV shows related via satellite dish. Others in the cast work in medical clinics, offices, and on the North Slope oil rigs.

The film was primarily shot in the village of Noorvik and Kotzebue, a city located in the Northwest Arctic Borough of Alaska, U.S.^[2]

• Peter – Joe Fields
• Noah – Walter Sampson. He is also the narrator and the film’s technical advisor
• Grandmother – Jenny Jackson
• Mother – Frances A. Ballot
• Millie – Agnes M. Lie
• Rachael – Josie Outwater
• Child – James Wells
• Steven –Thomas Pungalik, Jr.
• Tommy – Tommy Ongtooguk
• Susie – Lena Outwater
• Walter - Luke Carter

The documentary is thought to be the first commercial film about native Alaskans where all the parts are played by non-professional actors. The members of the cast were picked from the residents of Noorvik, Alaska, a village of 450 people north of the Arctic Circle. ^[3]

Neil McCormick of Cinécraft Productions in Cleveland, Ohio, directed the film. The Cinecraft crew spent two months in Alaska on filming and scouting trips. Shooting the film with portable 16 mm equipment was more manageable than shooting the film with videotape equipment. ^[4]

“Where the River Enters the Sea” was premiered in Washington D.C. (May 20, 1982) and Cleveland, Ohio (May 21, 1982). ^[5]

The film was distributed nationally in the continental U.S. by Modern Talking Pictures Service, a lending company for educational films for schools and organizations. in Alaska distribution was handled by Pictures, Inc., and in Ohio by the SOHIO film library. The film was also shown on commercial and cable TV systems across the U.S., including on WOR in New York and WTBS in Atlanta. ^[6]