IN BETWEEN WORLDS
DIRECTORS: MASHA KARPOUKHINA, MICHAEL PRESTON
Amid climate chaos, the Winnemem Wintu tribe fights to keep a sacred promise to return their ancestral Winter-run Chinook salmon to the waters of California, just as salmon runs across the world are collapsing. Guided by Chief Caleen Sisk, they must journey to Aotearoa (New Zealand), where, miraculously, the genetic descendants of their salmon survived.
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SYNOPSIS
Whatever happens to the salmon, happens to us,” says Chief Caleen, who leads the Winnemem Wintu in fulfilling a promise her people made at the beginning of time: to forever speak up for the salmon.
Violently dispossessed of their lands, federally unrecognized, and reduced to just 126 members, the Winnemem Wintu’s deliberate eradication parallels the salmon’s devastating decline and the construction of Shasta Dam blocking their way home. For decades, the tribe fought for the salmon, yet today, they are on the brink of extinction.
By resurrecting an ancient war dance, the tribe discovered their salmon thriving halfway across the world in the glacier-fed rivers of Aotearoa, New Zealand. This astonishing fact was foretold by a 150-year-old prophecy and confirmed through genetic testing. Now, Chief Caleen and her son, Michael, must bring two Indigenous nations and two governments together to return the salmon home.
If successful, they will spend years restoring the salmon to native waters. In the shaded intimacy of the river, we witness a new friendship forming between fish and humans. As Michael and Caleen pass this responsibility to the next generation, we are invited to redefine what a true and meaningful relationship with nature can be.
DIRECTORS’ STATEMENT
For too long, our voice—the true voice of our people—has remained unheard, our authentic stories untold to the wider world.
This documentary is more than a retelling of events; it’s an act of preservation, an imperative to document and safeguard our cultural and spiritual legacies. As we face increasing demands to lead on various fronts—many of which we find ourselves unprepared for—we embrace these challenges, employing every tool at our disposal, including the power of filmmaking.
At the heart of this narrative is the salmon’s return journey. It connects us not only to our ancestral lands but also to distant waters in Aotearoa (New Zealand), where our salmon were introduced. In partnership with Maori relatives, we strive together to reclaim what was lost. This story, spanning generations, is a testament to our unbroken connection to the sacred, despite ongoing attempts to erase our existence.
By sharing our journey, we offer a model of grounding in a world that has lost its balance, providing hope not only for Indigenous peoples but for humanity as a whole. We are still here, still believing in the sacred, and continuing forward.
This story needs to be told; we have traveled the world to tell it.
– Michael Preston, Co-Director
PROJECT INFO.
| LENGTH (MINUTES): | 120 |
| LANGUAGE: | English |
| START OF PRODUCTION: | May 30, 2025 |
| EXPECTED DELIVERY: | January 5, 2027 |
| SHOOTING FORMAT: | Digital 4K |
| SHOOTING LOCATIONS: | California, Aotearoa (New Zealand) |
| TOTAL BUDGET: | $898,671.93 |
| PRODUCTION COMPANY: | Colorfool Films |
| PRODUCTION COUNTRY: | United States |
| CONFIRMED PARTNERS: | SFFilm, The Redford Center |
| BUDGET GAP: | $863,671.93 |
| CURRENT PROJECT STATUS: | Pre-Production |
PITCH TEAM
MASHA KARPOUKHINA
CO-DIRECTOR
MASHA is an independent Director, Cinematographer & Editor. She received her bachelor’s in Directing Film & Television from Academy of Art University. Her personal cinema is focused on issues of the climate crisis, indigenous sovereignty, women’s rights & examining our relationship with the rest of the living world whether personal, political, or systemic. Her recent film about the decline of the natural soundscapes, The Last of the Nightingales screened internationally and received two Jackson Wild Awards, among numerous others.
Her work has been exhibited in museums (such as The Sydney Opera House, The Peabody Essex Museum, and The Exploratorium), in festivals, universities, and climate conferences world wide. Another short film that Masha shot and edited, Three Boys Manzanar is an Emmy recipient. Masha is currently an artist in residence with SFFilm.
MICHAEL PRESTON
CO-DIRECTOR
MICHAEL is an integral part of tribal leadership and holds a bachelors of Environmental Science from University of California, Berkeley. He has been deeply involved with salmon restoration along with his mom, Caleen Sisk for over a decade. He is also an award winning filmmaker & a co-director of the internationally acclaimed film, One Word Sawalmem that premiered at the American Documentary Film Festival, played in festivals worldwide, won numerous awards, screened in schools, universities, & in over 15 countries.
