Redemption River is a powerful, faith-centered survival thriller about grief, marriage, and spiritual renewal.

After the devastating loss of their child, a couple sets out on a rafting trip to reconnect. But when tragedy strikes again and they’re left stranded in the wilderness, their fight to survive becomes a deeper spiritual journey—one that confronts doubt, pain, and the silence of God.

The film is a modern parable about the endurance of faith through suffering, the healing power of vulnerability, and the hope of redemption even in the most broken places.

Shot entirely on location in the rugged canyons and forests of Auburn and Sacramento, California, Redemption River merges the visceral power of survival cinema with the spiritual depth of faith-based storytelling.

Directed with emotional clarity and natural realism, the film was lensed by acclaimed cinematographer Joey Katches, whose eye captures the stark beauty of the wild. All rafting sequences were filmed practically on the American River, including stunts—no green screens, no studio tanks—giving the film an authenticity and physicality rarely seen in the genre.

Water cinematography was led by the Emmy-winning Lindgren team (The River Runner, Ultimate Rush), whose unmatched expertise in whitewater environments brings a kinetic, immersive energy to the film’s most intense moments.

Post-production was completed at Kappa Studios (The Chosen, His Only Son), and the film is supported by an original score that carries the emotional and spiritual weight of the journey.

The cast features Kevin Lawson (Homestead, The Shift), Heather Land (Family Camp), Emma Elle Roberts (Unplanned), and more—together reaching an audience of over 14 million across social platforms.

Redemption River premiered at the International Christian Film Festival, earning nominations for Best Picture and Best Director, and winning Best Lead Actress.

• Faith in the Silence

When prayers go unanswered and God seems absent, what remains of belief? The film explores the quiet, often painful tension between divine silence and human hope.

• Grief, Guilt & the Ghost of the Life That Could Have Been

The loss of a child hangs over every frame—manifesting not only as sorrow, but guilt, anger, and the quiet unraveling of identity and purpose.

• Reconciliation Through Suffering

The journey toward healing requires something more than comfort—it demands surrender, truth, and the painful work of forgiveness, both of self and one another.

• Nature as Scripture

The wilderness is both punishing and sacred. Through it, the characters encounter a raw expression of God—brutal, beautiful, unfiltered—echoing Job, the Psalms, and the desert trials of Christ.

• Choosing to Love Again

In the aftermath of trauma, love is not a feeling but a choice—a costly, daily act of resurrection.

Genre: Faith-Based / Survival Drama

Runtime: 1:25:10

Production Status: Completed

Production Company: Smallertown Productions & Inspertouch

Postproduction Studio: Kappa Studios (The Chosen, His Only Son)