Sunday, May 3 – 3:00pm

American Dendrite

Documentary • USA • 2025 • 78 Minutes
Director: Adam Marshall Present

Synopsis: Director Adam Marshall Present and his crew follow the waterways from Chicago to the Louisiana
bayou, tracing the Chicago River to the Mississippi and eventually out to the ocean.

Along the way, they interview people they meet, capturing intimate stories from communities along the river. Each participant responds to reflections from people interviewed upstream, creating a flowing chain of conversation that explores climate, culture, and consciousness across the region.

If that wasn’t enough, Present captures everything on vintage Super 8mm, lending a sense of timelessness to river life. The film plays like a mixture of Jack Kerouac, Mark Twain, and Studs Terkel, with Present taking the role of famed archivist Alan Lomax.

The title American Dendrite refers to branching networks that carry signals or flow. Like a dendrite in the brain or the branching waterways of the Mississippi River system, the film follows how stories, memories, and ideas move downstream between communities, forming a living network across America.

Producers: Adam Marshall Present, Caroline Bates
Cinematographer: Adam Marshall Present
Editor: Adam Marshall Present

Festivals & Awards: Chicago Underground
Green Film Festival Of San Francisco
Big Muddy
Lake County

Public Contact: Adam Marshall Present
Email Address: americandendrite@gmail.com