Date/Time: Friday, February 6th at 7pm

With a vintage Super 8 camera in hand, filmmaker Adam Marshall Present traces the path of water flowing from Chicago all the way to the Gulf of Mexico in Louisiana. Each person he encounters along the way is asked to share stories, memories, or what they are feeling at that specific moment—with their only prompt being to listen to what the previous person up the river has shared. As this “flow of conversation” takes place alongside the Mississippi River, the result is a living time capsule of this pivotal moment in American history.

A wide range of participants express their personal challenges and reasons for hope, uncovering a shared spirit of what it means to be an American right now. AMERICAN DENDRITE (2025) is a leisurely, lush road trip that takes full advantage of the cinematic beauty of analog Super 8 film, while shedding light on how the forces of water, geography, and circumstance bind us together.

Runtime: 78m

Followed by a post-screening discussion with Adam Marshall Present.

Watch Trailer

This event is co-presented by DOC CHICAGO, Chicago Filmmakers, and Friends of the Chicago River.‍ ‍