ABOUT THE PROJECT
LOGLINE
A Navajo botanist returning to a drought-ridden Southwest joins a dangerous Grand Canyon expedition, where uneasy alliances and the Colorado River’s fate collide.
SYNOPSIS
Emery, a botanist hired to assess the environmental impact of a highly contentious dam construction project on the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon, embarks on a rafting trip with company men Floyd and Noah and guide Jordan. Facing diminishing water resources, competing interests, and vivid memories, Emery wrestles with her conscience. Tragedy strikes, transforming all involved.
Blending slow-burn environmental suspense with intimate character drama, LIFE WITHOUT END is an alt-western indie/eco-drama that explores power—who claims it, who yields it, and who walks away. At its center is a woman navigating systems that were never built for her, in a place that both holds and haunts her. Set in a near-future Southwest, LIFE WITHOUT END follows Emery, tasked with evaluating the environmental impact of a controversial hydroelectric project. As the group descends deeper into the canyon, the unraveling of the river mirrors the reckoning each must face—with the past, with power, and with what remains of the natural world.
Life Without End will be released alongside an impact campaign rooted in a Theory of Change: storytelling ? understanding ? empowerment ? collective action. As the Colorado River approaches irreversible thresholds—its flow projected to decline up to 50% by century’s end—the time to shift hearts, minds, and policies is now. The team has brought on Impact Producer, whose experience in social-issue filmmaking is helping shape a robust impact campaign. This campaign will launch alongside the film and focus on water justice, in partnership with nonprofit organizations working to protect the Colorado River.
Life Without End is a story grounded in landscape and loss, offering a timely meditation on environmental reckoning and human resilience.
PROJECT TYPE Narrative Feature
DIRECTOR Emilie Upczak
SCREENWRITER Emilie Upczak
PRODUCER Emilie Upczak, Christi Cooper, John Otterbacher
CO-PRODUCER Lisa Yelloweagle
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER Harlan Taney
IMPACT PRODUCER Gina Papabeis
WEBSITE emilieupczak.com/#/silt/
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