For decades, the Los Angeles River has been dismissed as nothing more than a storm drain, a scar of concrete winding through the city. But River of Angels, a film by Rivers are Life, flips the script on this misunderstood waterway and reveals what’s really flowing beneath the surface: life, resilience, and community grit.

Stretching 51 miles across one of the most urbanized landscapes on Earth, the L.A. River is more than just a flood channel. In its natural stretches, you’ll find herons fishing in the shallows, ducks navigating the reeds, and fish weaving through currents that pulse with wild energy. This river is a living ecosystem, and it’s worth fighting for.

The film follows Friends of the Los Angeles River (FoLAR), a grassroots powerhouse working to reconnect people to this vital waterway. From massive cleanup events to bird surveys, yoga sessions, and writing workshops, FoLAR’s programs prove that stewardship is not only about pulling trash from water, it’s about building culture around the river.

River of Angels challenges us to see the river not as a problem to fix, but as a possibility to embrace. By reimagining the L.A. River, Angelenos are proving that nature and community can thrive, even in the heart of a sprawling metropolis.

This is more than an urban river story. It’s a call to action: rewild our cities, reclaim our waterways, and reframe how we value the rivers that run through us all.