River: behind the scenes

Co-writer and co-director Jennifer Peedom discusses her latest collaborative project with the Australian Chamber Orchestra, River.

After the success of their previous collaboration, the team behind Mountain – including director Jennifer Peedom, Richard Tognetti and the Australian Chamber Orchestra, writer Robert Macfarlane and narrator Willem Dafoe - knew there were more opportunities to explore. The result is a companion feature documentary, River.

Little did Peedom know but this project was about to include collaborators from all over the globe. “We began pre-production on River the week that the first lockdowns were announced for COVID,” Peedom explains. “Suddenly there was a whole lot of people with availability that could still go out into their backyards wherever that was in the world and shoot material.”

In this behind-the-scenes video, Peedom explains the creative process for the Australian Chamber Orchestra to score the film and how acclaimed composer Jonny Greenwood and his band Radiohead got involved in the production.

River is screening in Australian cinemas from 24 March 2022.