Following the North American Premiere of Upstream Battle at TIFF, the Karuk and Hoopa Tribes in California reacted to a recent statement on the film by Warren Buffett's PacifiCorp.

Our film documents the tribes' fight for the survival of their salmon-based culture. They demand complete removal of four large hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River which are owned by PacifiCorp, an energy company controlled by Buffett, the richest man in the world.

PacifiCorp managers issued their first public statement in response to Upstream Battle (see my report last week) They surprisingly announced: "Today, we are closer than we've ever been to a positive resolution for the Klamath."

Ron Reed and Mike Polmateer (pictured above with producer Joachim Schroeder) of the Karuk Tribe, who participated in the documentary and had come to TIFF from their remote homeland in far Northern California, dismissed PacifiCorp's claim as "PR spin." Reed told the Toronto audience how he had spent years attending meetings on dam relicensing and explaining how the hydro project affected their culture, only to see the corporation file its application saying "there was no significant impact."

Given the film's emphasis on the tribal viewpoint, PacifiCorp also said in its statement: "This film clearly advocates on behalf of one unique perspective."

Merv George Jr.(pictured right), a Hoopa Tribal Member featured in the documentary, responded by pointing out PacifiCorp's own participation in the documentary: "Upstream Battle is a unique film that demonstrates the many different perspectives that are shared in the Klamath River Basin. Ben Kempas spent a lot of time with the various stakeholders and with Pacificorp to validate and to inform the viewer how complex this issue is."

George, who had travelled to Munich, Germany for the film's world premiere in May, continued: "Many in the tribal communities have always believed that once the public is informed of the many social, economic, and cultural injustices that have occurred since the Klamath Dams have been built (early 1900's); change is inevitable. The facts speak for themselves and it is obvious who is the villian and who are the victims. For years corporate profits have outweighed the river's cries for help. Now that the economic peak is over, it is time for these salmon-killing dams to go. Stay tuned for the largest dam removal project in the world--and better yet, keep informed about our Klamath Upstream Battle."

The Upstream Battle crew had a great time at TIFF and looks forward to RIFF, the Reykjavik International Film Festival later this month. It must be an Icelandic wild-salmon connection that got us in there. RIFF will showcase Upstream Battle together with other environmental docs.

On their last day in Toronto, after a visit to the CN Tower, Ron Reed and Mike Polmateer discovered a salmon run in downtown Toronto (pictured below). "Look at this," Reed said. "They're going right THROUGH the dam."