Swiftwater is a documentary production company telling stories about the natural world. Our feature-length and short films have focused on water, river conservation, salmon recovery and environmental justice in the American West. We were founded after winning the RFP to produce the feature-length film following the removal of four dams on Northern California and Southern Oregon's Klamath River, a project launched in 2020 and currently in production. Since that time our team has filmed with tribes, scientists, ranchers, fishermen and conservationists in the Pacific Northwest, Northern California and Alaska to tell stories highlighting how science and indigenous perspectives are reshaping land, water and resource management in the era of climate change. Our team is specialized in verite cinematography, underwater filming, drone piloting and timelapse.
Shane Anderson
Principle Director / Producer
Shane has been producing films about natural history, river restoration and salmon recovery in the American West for fifteen years. He is a two time Emmy winning director and has directed seven feature documentaries including Covenant of the Salmon People (2022), The Lost Salmon (2022), A River’s Last Chance (2018), Chehalis: A Watershed Moment (2020). Shane’s work has been supported by Redford Center, Rogovy Foundation and Patagonia, and featured on Netflix, BBC, PBS, Seeker, WaterBear, and Outside Magazine. As Director of Storytelling for Pacific Rivers for many years, Shane produced films supporting conservation initiatives across the American West. His passion for storytelling is rooted in generating impact and policy change, and his work has contributed to dozens of impact and education campaigns, as well as policy initiatives in multiple states. Prior to producing documentaries, Shane was a professional downhill skier and Hollywood stuntman.
Maya Craig
Director of Photography / Producer
Maya Craig is a documentary filmmaker and freelance director of photography based in San Francisco. She has been shooting with Swiftwater since 2020 across a number of projects including Guardians of the River, The Lost Salmon, Covenant, and Bring the Salmon Home, which was a finalist for the 2022 Jackson Media Awards. Maya is a National Geographic Explorer looking at the global climate and geopolitical impacts of a warming Arctic, and was a DP and producer on feature documentary The Battle of Laikipia, about conservation in Northern Kenya, which premiered at Sundance 2024. Her first documentary Water Town, about a water privatization conflict in Northern California, was broadcast nationally on PBS and helped lead to the City of Weed, CA securing its water rights. Maya is a fellow at London's Royal Geographical Society, and holds an undergraduate degree in Environmental Science and a Master’s in Documentary Film from UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism.
Jessie Sears
Production Coordinator
Jessie is an enrolled Karuk tribal member and is in pursuit of connecting with her indigenous roots and giving back to the community. She is passionate about environmental justice and is driven to leverage compassion through film. Since earning her communications degree from Portland State in 2016, Jessie has worked as a camera operator, camera assistant, media manager, production coordinator, and assistant director and producer.
Jason Hartwick
Photographer / Timelapse Specialist
Jason is a photographer, timelapse specialist and fishing guide based out of Humboldt County. A native to Northern California, Jason grew up camping, fishing, and exploring the outdoors, where he started taking photographs to document the old growth redwoods and last remaining wild salmon and steelhead. As a fishing guide for more than a decade, Jason is our trusted boat captain when we’re filming out on the river.