Film Forum

U.S., 1978
Directed by Robb Moss
Approx. 32 min.

In 1978, Robb Moss was 28 years old, a former river guide in the Mountain West and dreaming of a career as a filmmaker. One fall, on a month-long Grand Canyon rafting adventure with a group of friends, he collected the footage that would form the basis for his first film, the now-celebrated Riverdogs, a glorious sun-drenched ode to youth and nature, to life lived, often without clothing, at the brink of the possible. Shot on 16mm, scenes of communal play and risky outdoor adventuring are stacked one upon another creating a portrait of joy, vigor, and freedom. At the end of the trip, the group convened a vote: should they all stay together or head home? While they didn’t know it, they were on the verge of no longer being young.

Related Events