Emmy® Award Winning Documentary Films

Robert Lundahl’s films narrate compelling stories of the modern American West, illuminating diverse narratives of struggle and resilience. His subjects range from descendants of Joaquin Murrieta protecting sacred antiquities against energy development and farmers striving to find viable cash crops amidst increasing challenges, to Marine Corps veterans bravely confronting the health effects of toxic pollution and tribal elders working to save salmon and their ancestral way of life—

Lundahl’s films and books are factually precise and historically accurate, masterfully portraying vast, unconquered landscapes and the communities of heroically resilient peoples who inhabit them.

"A river dammed, a culture silenced, and the decade-long fight to bring both back to life."

Unconquering the Last Frontier chronicles the epic saga of Washington’s Elwha River. For nearly a century, two massive dams stood as monuments to industrial progress—while simultaneously severing the lifeblood of the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe.

I spent ten years documenting this collision between hydroelectric development and ancestral survival. Through the lens of the Pacific Northwest salmon crisis, the film captures a rare, intimate look at the "historic trauma" of colonization and the profound resilience required to restore an entire ecosystem. As the only film to address these specific cultural wounds, it remains a vital tool for environmental justice.

Distribution & Recognition

• Broadcast: PBS, Free Speech TV.

• Top Awards: First Place, EarthVision; Finalist, International Wildlife Film Festival.

• Legacy: In the collection of The Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian.

Technical Specifications

• Format: 4K UHD (3840x2160) Digital Theatrical Print.

• Original Capture: 62,400 ft of Kodak 7293 16mm Film.

• Gear: Eclair 1.5, Angenieux Zooms, Nagra 4.2 S Audio.

Song On The Water 4K Feature Trailer

Song on the Water

"They were told they could only fish if they could find their way by canoe. So they took to the water."

Following the brutal "Fish Wars" of the 1960s and the landmark Boldt Decision, Native American tribes in Washington faced a final, defiant hurdle: to reclaim their ancestral fishing grounds, they had to prove they could navigate them using traditional means.

Song on the Water is an award-winning ethnographic journey that puts you in the center of a modern-day miracle. I joined 50 indigenous crews and their communities as they paddled through open waters on an epic voyage to a traditional potlatch. This isn't just a documentary about a voyage; it’s a film about the rhythm of the paddle, the resurgence of a culture once forbidden, and the reclaiming of the Pacific Northwest coastline.

Distribution & Recognition

• Broadcast: Premiered on KCTS 9 Seattle; aired over 240 times on 80+ PBS stations nationwide.

• Release: Theatrical and Public Television.

Technical Specifications

• Format: 3840x2160 / 2160P UHD Digital Theatrical Projection Print (4K).

• Capture: Sony DSR-500 WS DV-Cam (Widescreen).

• Audio: Single and Double System; Sony Walkman Portable DAT; Sennheiser Wireless and Shotgun Mics.

Who Are My People? 4K Feature Trailer

Who Are My People?

"In the hottest desert on the planet, a small group of elders stands between the world's energy giants and the burial grounds of their ancestors."

The Mojave Desert has become a modern-day gold rush for renewable energy firms. But this industrial expansion comes at a staggering cost: the destruction of ancient ecosystems, the exhumation of indigenous remains, and the bulldozing of sacred geoglyphs.

Labeled a "Flashpoint" by the LA Times, this film documents the collision of two competing value systems. I went into the heart of the desert to capture the resistance of Native American elders fighting to protect the integrity of a landscape that has been their home for millennia. Who Are My People? is an urgent inquiry into the ethics of "green" energy and a testament to those refusing to let their history be erased in the name of progress.

Distribution & Recognition

• Theatrical Release: 5-State Tour (Oregon, South Dakota, Arizona, Nevada, California).

• Impact: A primary resource for activists and tribal leaders fighting industrial encroachment on sacred lands.

Technical Specifications

• Format: 3840x2160 / 2160P UHD Digital Theatrical Projection Print (4K).

• Capture: Panasonic AG-HVX200 P2 HD System.

• Audio: Audio Technica Shotgun Mics; Sennheiser Wireless Systems..

Harvest Dreams 4K Feature Trailer

Harvest Dreams

"Farming is more than a business; it's a legacy. But what happens when the land becomes worth more than the harvest?"

On Washington’s beautiful Olympia Peninsula, the agricultural landscape is changing forever. Harvest Dreams profiles four farming families across a full year of seasonal shifts, documenting a pivotal transition from traditional commodity crops to high-value organic and niche produce.

Filmed in an intimate, observational style, this documentary is at once touching and tragic. It captures generations facing impossible choices as rising land costs and housing development force some families out of business forever. Featuring a special bluegrass score by West Coast legends The Maddox Brothers and Rose Maddox, the film is a heartfelt portrait of those fighting to keep their hands in the dirt and their heritage alive.

Distribution & Recognition

• Release: Theatrical Screenings (Washington State).

• Music: Featuring a stinging, swinging score by Arhoolie Records, West Coast Bluegrass, and the indelible Rose Maddox.

Technical Specifications

• Format: 3840x2160 / 2160P UHD Digital Theatrical Projection Print (4K).

• Capture: Sony DSR-500 WS DV-Cam (Widescreen).

• Audio: Sennheiser Wireless and Shotgun Mics.

The Battle of Blythe 4K Short Trailer–

The Battle of Blythe

"A scrappy 'freedom school' in a remote desert town became the spark of a movement—long before the world was watching."

What began as a personal journey back to the desert of my youth became a powerful encounter with a hidden chapter of California history. The Battle of Blythe chronicles the 1972 uprising of a Mexican-American community whose frustration with the public school system led to the creation of Escuela de la Raza Unida.

Narrated through the archives and memories of Alfredo Acosta Figueroa—a colleague of Cesar Chavez and a titan of the United Farm Workers—the film uncovers a "lost story" of Chicano Pride and Indigenous resilience. More than just a commemorative piece for the school's 40th anniversary, this film is a raw look at the racism and systemic barriers faced by those in the Palo Verde Valley, and the enduring legacy of a school that still stands today as a testament to empowering the poor.

Awards & Recognition

• Winner: Best Documentary Film, Tulalip Tribes' Hibulb Cultural Center and Museum Film Festival (2020).

• Legacy: Created in collaboration with the Figueroa Family to preserve the history of the first Chicano-Indigenous school in the United States.

Technical Specifications

• Format: 3840x2160 / 2160P UHD Digital Theatrical Projection Print (4K).

• Capture: Panasonic AG-HVX200 P2 HD System.

• Audio: Sennheiser and Audio Technica Shotgun Mics; Sennheiser Wireless Lavaliers.

PayDirt 4K Feature Trailer

PayDirt

"When military secrets are buried in the soil, the truth becomes a matter of life and death."

PayDirt is a brutal, unassailable indictment of institutional fraud. This documentary series uncovers a "code of silence" surrounding toxic pollution at former U.S. military bases—sites where radioactive waste from 1950s nuclear tests and carcinogenic toxins were left behind in half-hearted "clean-ups."

As the 2008 economic collapse loomed, billionaire CEOs and government officials "cooked the books" to facilitate massive profit-taking, turning contaminated Superfund sites into residential developments and children’s play areas. From the radioactive history of the San Francisco shipyards to the "Dead Men Tell No Lies" investigation at El Toro, PayDirt exposes the liars, thieves, and hirelings who prioritized the bottom line over the health of veterans and their families. This is a cautionary tale of greed and a relentless search for accountability in a landscape of institutional deception.

Strategic Partners & Journalism

• Collaborators: Created with Salem-News.com, SF Weekly, GreenAction, and The Law Offices of Angela Alioto.

• Impact: A primary resource for environmental justice and legal action against fraudulent health and safety reporting.

Technical Specifications

• Format: 4K UHD (3840x2160) Director’s Cut Digital Theatrical Projection Print.

• Capture: Panasonic AG-HVX200 P2 HD System.

• Audio: Audio Technica Shotgun Mics; Sennheiser Wireless Systems.

• Post-Production: Robert Lundahl and Associates, Larkspur, CA.

Climate Change is Here: The Movie 4K Short

A Cinema Verité Record of Global Crisis
Born from the isolation of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic,

Climate Change is Here: The Movie is a "cinema verité" short film that captures the exact moment a local emergency became a global realization. As uncontrolled wildfires devastated California and the Pacific Northwest that year, turning the skies a haunting orange, this film was captured using then-nascent Zoom technology. It documents a raw, unfiltered conversation between creators witnessing a world in flux, crystallizing the project’s central thesis: the environmental future we once feared has already arrived.

Bridging the Gap: From California to the Arctic
The film’s emotional and intellectual core is a cross-continental dialogue with Larry Merculieff, an Indigenous Unangan (Aleut) leader from the Pribilof Islands. While the American West burned, Merculieff provided a chilling mirror from the far north, describing an Alaska where the permafrost is melting and entire villages—over 140 of which now face imminent threats from erosion and flooding—are forced to relocate at immense cost. His insights reveal a cascading ecosystem collapse: sea ice barriers are vanishing, and shifting migration patterns are making traditional food harvesting nearly impossible for tribal people. 

The Evolution of a Narrative
This project is a unique case study in how a single spark of inspiration can evolve across mediums. What began as an experimental digital recording between friends Robin Carneen and the filmmaker eventually grew into the "Climate Change is Here" radio series on KPFK. The profound stories and Indigenous wisdom captured in this short film didn't stop at the screen; they transitioned into the airwaves as documentaries and were eventually distilled into chapters for five separate books, proving that vital stories demand to be told in every format possible.

Why This Project Matters in 2026
In 2026, the message of this film is more urgent than ever. California continues to face record-breaking "conflagrations," such as the catastrophic January 2025 firestorms that killed 31 people and destroyed over 16,000 structures. By looking back at this 2020 "origin story," viewers gain a deeper understanding of the "whiplash weather" and accelerating shifts we now face daily. This film is not just a documentary; it is a historical marker of the moment we stopped talking about the future of climate change and started living it. 

Distribution & Recognition

• Release: Film Festivals. KPFK Radio Los Angeles 90.7, Amazon “Gathering Fire: The Peopling of the Americas”

• Repurposed footage: US Fish and Wildlife Service. Alaska Film Archives, Jeanie Greene/Heartbeat Alaska, CalFire, Various

• Music: Free Music Archive (FMA)

• Special Appreciation: Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY), Pratt Institute

Technical Specifications

• Format: 3840x2160 / 2160P UHD Digital Theatrical Projection Print (4K)

• Capture: Zoom Recordings

• Audio: Sampson Meteor

This film is licensable. info@studio-rla.com

I Met Dr. Munk 4K Short

I Met Dr. Munk

When I first met Dr. Walter Munk at a UCSD dinner in the early 2010s, I was struck by the monumental presence of the man known as the "Einstein of the Oceans." At 96, he spoke with a terrifying clarity about the future of our planet, providing precise estimates on the melting of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets and the subsequent sea-level rise. I was then in the midst of making my documentary, “Who Are My People?, which exposed how the "Green Jobs Program" under the Obama administration was facilitating a massive giveaway of public lands in the Mojave Desert to international firms—a "boondoggle" promoted by figures like Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Walter had seen my previous film and was deeply intrigued by the connection between marine ecosystems and our changing climate. Our immediate rapport led to a friendship that grew out of a shared concern for the world’s ecological integrity. However, as our bond deepened, I was appalled to witness the unfolding struggle over his legacy: his historic home,

Seiche

Perched on the cliffs overlooking Black’s Beach, the home was not just a residence; it was a site of profound historical significance, having hosted the very first UCSD graduation.

Despite Walter's status as a pioneer who worked alongside Charles David Keeling and Roger Revelle to sound the alarm on climate change in the 1950s, the University of California moved to sell the property rather than preserve it as a climate-focused think tank. I became personally involved in a daunting effort to raise the $5–7 million needed to endow the home’s future, but the goal remained just out of reach. Seeing this vibrant hub of scientific creativity treated as a mere real estate asset felt like a betrayal of the man who had given so much to our understanding of the seas.

The following film,

I Met Dr. Munk

was born from a desire to memorialize these interactions and the friendship we shared. It is a story told with a touch of melancholy and a hint of sarcasm directed at a world that often fails to honor its greatest minds in favor of the bottom line. It serves as a tribute to the "Seiche spirit"—a reminder of the urgent warnings Walter gave and the enduring legacy he left behind, even as the physical walls of his sanctuary were passed into private hands.

This short film is a companion piece to my broader work on the climate crisis, including the podcast and film Climate Change is Here. It is an intimate look at a global icon, captured through the lens of a personal encounter that forever changed my perspective on the stakes of the environmental battle we face today. Enjoy the film, and may it inspire the same "stunning clarity" in you that Walter Munk once inspired in me. .

Distribution & Recognition

• Release: Film Festivals. KPFK Radio, Los Angeles 90.7,

• Repurposed footage: UCSD, The Walter Munk Foundation For The Oceans

• Music: Free Music Archive (FMA)

• Special Appreciation: Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY), Pratt Institute

Technical Specifications

• Format: 3840x2160 / 2160P UHD Digital Theatrical Projection Print (4K)

• Editing: Adobe Premiere Pro

• Audio: Sampson Meteor

This film is licensable. info@studio-rla.com

Unconquering the Last Frontier 4K Trailer