May 30th Showing of
Paucartambo: The Rest of the River
Directed by John Armstrong
May 30th at Gold Trail Grange, Coloma, CA
Step into one of the most daring river expeditions ever captured on film. Paucartambo: The Rest of the River follows a team of legendary American kayakers on a perilous 19-day descent of Peru’s remote and unmapped Paucartambo River—plunging 13,000 feet from the Andes to the Amazon Basin in what was, at the time, the greatest sustained vertical drop ever achieved in kayaking history.
Filmed in 1986 and hailed as one of the earliest expedition kayaking documentaries, this award-winning film (including the People’s Choice Award at the Banff Mountain Film Festival) goes far beyond adrenaline. It captures the raw reality of expedition life—grueling portages, unrelenting rapids, and the ever-present risk of isolation where rescue is impossible. Along the way, the team encounters the Quechua people, offering a rare and human glimpse into life along this powerful river.
Notably, the film was also groundbreaking for its time, featuring one of the first mixed-gender expedition kayaking teams ever documented.
Now beautifully restored from its original 16mm film to stunning 4K, this new version reveals breathtaking detail and depth never before seen, paired with a rich, immersive soundscape crafted specifically for the journey.
Join us for this special screening and experience a landmark in adventure filmmaking—while supporting the vital work of Friends of the River to protect and restore wild rivers.
Following the screening, stay for a special Q&A with director John Armstrong and original members of the expedition, offering rare behind-the-scenes stories and firsthand reflections from this historic journey.
WHEN: Saturday, May 30th. Door Open 6pm, Screening 7pm.
WHERE: Gold Trail Grange, 319 CA-49, Coloma, CA 95613
TICKETS: 10$ online or $12 at the door.
About the Director: John Armstrong
John Armstrong is an award-winning cinematographer and filmmaker with a 35-year career capturing some of the world’s most extreme adventures and compelling unscripted television. His work spans both groundbreaking expedition documentaries and major reality competition series (think Survivor, The Amazing Race, and American Ninja Warrior).
Armstrong’s cinematic achievements have earned him three Primetime Emmy Awards and four Sports Emmy Awards for Cinematography. His adventure films have also received top honors, including the Grand Prize at the Telluride Mountainfilm Festival for Bashkaus: Hard Labor in Siberia and Best Documentary for Curtain of Ice.
In recognition of his lifetime contributions to the field, Armstrong was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award for Unscripted Camera Operator by the Society of Camera Operators in 2025. His career and impact were further highlighted in a feature by Harvard Magazine, reflecting on his journey since graduating from Harvard in 1974.
Through decades of work behind the lens, Armstrong has helped define the visual language of adventure storytelling—bringing audiences into some of the most remote, challenging, and inspiring places on Earth.
About the Expedition Team
Phil DeRiemer’s paddling career spans more than four decades—largely in pursuit of avoiding a traditional job. He spent 10 years as a lead instructor with Sundance Kayak School on Oregon’s Rogue River and 20 years teaching at Otter Bar Lodge. He also guided for four seasons with Expeditions Chile on the Futaleufú and other rivers.
Alongside his wife, Mary, Phil co-founded DeRiemer Adventure Kayaking, offering instruction and multi-day trips on rivers throughout the western United States, as well as in Ecuador, Costa Rica, and Bhutan.
His paddling highlights include several first descents in Chile, including the Futaleufú’s “Na Ramro” Gorge in Nepal—aptly translated as “Not Good Gorge.” He also completed the second self-support kayak descent of the Grand Canyon of the Stikine, just three days behind the first, along with a handful of first descents in Bhutan.
Most rewarding of all, however, has been teaching and guiding—work he continues to this day.
Eric Magneson was part of an active first wave of Class 5 paddling in the Sierra Nevada in the 80s and 90s with a number of first descents and other notable paddles including the first no portage run of the "Golden Gate" on the upper South Fork American River. International adventures followed, among them first descents in Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Nepal, and numerous first d's in Chile, including the Siete Tazas on the Rio Claro and the southern jewel, Futaleufú.
Eric also ran Sierra Kayak School with Lars Holbek, and that partnership led to the making of Wild Americans, an early video guide featuring Class 5 sections of the American River watershed . . . and Lars' alter ego "Bob."
After losing several friends in kayaking accidents, Eric designed and led the West Coast's first whitewater kayak-specific safety and rescue courses which he taught throughout the West and Alaska for 15 years.
Other exploits include: winning Project Raft's International Whitewater Competition in Costa Rica ('91) and Turkey ('93) as a member of Team California; working on numerous films and advertisements as a whitewater safety specialist, rigger, stunt performer, and as a featured actor in HBO's White Mile; and paddling in Alaska on a self-supported sea kayak trip from Seward to Homer with buddy Dennis Eagan.
Eric is a contractor and humble graybeard who notices everything is still better after a river paddle with friends.