A feature film for audiences of all ages.
In The Last Salmon, a young Native boy’s journey unfolds, guided by a wise elder, as he learns the age-old tale of the wild salmon, unlocking a legacy that shapes his destiny, and that of his community.
Adapted from a short story written by Phil Davis.
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The Why
Our mission is to make a great independent film that moves people to care, not just about the plight of our salmon but also the role they play in our own wellbeing. For it is only when our collective caring reaches a critical mass that we can begin to fix what we’ve broken in our natural world, and thus ensure our own survival.
The What
For millennia, glistening clusters of pink and orange pearls have clung to the walls of their pebbly nests, blanketed by the late-season flow of cold mountain runoff. Countless creatures, great and small, have awaited the arrival of the hatched abundance, to sustain their existence in this delicate and wondrous dance between life and survival and death. And for millennia, it worked so well.
The How
The Last Salmon reminds us how this cycle was crushed by the weight of humanity. Yet more importantly, through the poignant lens of a curious Native boy and his magical witnessing of the salmon’s journey, we are reconnected to a past that holds the secrets to the return of the salmon’s life sustaining abundance. Employing a unique blend of live action narrative and whimsical animation, the film is able to juxtapose its two storylines – one of this young boy’s coming-of-age journey, the other of the animated salmon’s heroic adventures – in a way that captivates audiences across age and culture. As the final credits roll, they - the audience - will care.
The Teaser & Fight Song
Billy Frank Jr. and salmon share a profound connection as symbols of strength and resilience. For him, protecting salmon wasn't just a cause—it was a sacred duty.
Chairman Frank was the leader of the Nisqually Indian Tribe in Washington State. He was a catalyst for tribal fishing rights and environmental conservation in the Pacific Northwest.
The Inspiration
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Most notably, Billy was a key figure in the "Fish Wars," a series of protests and legal battles during the 1960s and 1970s. These efforts ultimately led to the Boldt Decision in 1974, a landmark court case that reaffirmed Native American fishing rights and recognized their entitlement to half of the harvestable fish in the state of Washington.
Before his passing in 2014, Billy wrote a beautiful foreward for Phil Davis’ short story The Last Salmon. He encouraged all young people, parents, and teachers to read it for its messages of hope in a world of apathy. He saw it as a story that could help inspire us all to work together to save the salmon, because he believed deeply that in doing so, we would find the spirit and courage to save ourselves.
We are forever grateful for Billy Frank Jr. and are guided by his legacy.
Like Whale Rider and Beasts of the Southern Wild, The Last Salmon stands in the lineage of deeply rooted, culturally specific coming-of-age stories that transcend their origins to reach global audiences. Those films proved that myth, place, and authenticity—when guided by courageous storytelling—can deliver extraordinary returns: Whale Rider turned a $4M budget into $41M worldwide, and Beasts transformed $2M into $21M while earning four Oscar nominations.
The Opportunity
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The Last Salmon builds on that tradition, bringing Indigenous culture, salmon mythology, and intergenerational environmental stakes to the screen with greater cinematic scope and award-caliber talent. It is positioned not only as a film, but as a cultural event—crafted for festivals, families, and the global conversation about what we choose to save.
Based on our draft budget, we are seeking to raise a total of $10mm from a limited number of equity investors and/or tax deductible charitable donations, with Children of the Setting Sun Productions as our Fiscal Sponsor. Our plan is to fully fund the film in early 2026 so that we can shoot spring/summer 2026. We anticipate completing the film late 2026 for its release in 2027.
“Stories do more than comfort. They take you away and bring you back better made.” Tommy Orange - Wandering Stars
The Story
Our story comes to life with a unique blend of live-action narrative and animated filmmaking. It’s set along the banks of an imaginary river, the Chuketna, where humans and salmon have lived together for millennia. Since colonization and the destructive forces that followed, the fish runs have nearly collapsed, and the people who had been nourished by this lost bounty, resilient as they are, now struggle in a broken world.
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We open at a somber First Salmon Ceremony where the fish have yet to return to the Chuketna River. Elder John shares a magical tale of how one year the first salmon to return was almost the last salmon. It’s this story that comes to life in young Billy’s imagination, launching a journey of his own, with John as his guide, as he seeks to understand the salmon’s struggles while reconciling losses in his own life. We end at a bittersweet community gathering led by Billy who has found his purpose, and inspired an entire community along the way.
Marie Clements, the talented and accomplished Métis/Dene filmmaker, will direct The Last Salmon.
“I am honoured to be included in this outstanding team of producers and creative collaborators to make The Last Salmon a reality. It is a wholly unique story weaving the reality of a young boy’s grief with the world of his imagination that takes him on a journey through the use of animation seamlessly moving him forward up the river.”
The Director
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Marie adds, “The feature will act as testament to the strength and resilience of not just the human condition, but how we are intrinsically linked to the environment that we live in, and that made us. The Last Salmon will be a cinematic feast that radiates a deeper knowing that the survival of the salmon is also our survival, and that we have always shared a history and a dream for the future since time immemorial”, says Clements.
Known for her impactful storytelling that often explores Indigenous themes and experiences, Marie has made significant contributions to the film industry.
Her most recent work, the multi-award winning film and limited series, Bones of Crows, is an epic story that portrays the dark history of the Residential School System and its impact on survivors, families, and Indigenous culture.
We are beyond thrilled that Marie has committed to our film. She brings the leadership and creativity that will inspire cast and crew to bring their best work to the project, unlocking its full potential.
The Producers
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Lily Gladstone - Executive Producer
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Jane Charles - Lead Producer
“Stories stay with us and speak to our hearts. Knowing that this is a critical time for the earth and all of her children, including the salmon, I am honored to be a part of helping shepherd the creation of this important film, based on the beautiful story, ‘The Last Salmon’, by Phil Davis.” MORE
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Stefany Mathias
“The Last Salmon is an exciting part of the Indigenous rise in the film and television industry. I’m thrilled to be part of bringing it to audiences all over the world; it’s a story everyone can relate to.” MORE
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Mark Titus
“The Last Salmon is an elegiac yet joyful portal into the world of salmon through the eyes of a wise-beyond-his years indigenous boy - Billy – named after the late salmon hero, Billy Frank Jr. I am humbled and proud to be a part of this important vision.” MORE
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Kelsey Mata Foote
"Our ancestors understood that true abundance is what we can preserve for generations to come. I am honored to be part of a film that reminds us all of this wisdom. Aatlein gunalchéesh to all involved." MORE
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Phil Davis - Executive Producer
“Very fun to be making a movie where we already know that audiences of all ages LOVE the story!” MORE
The Writers
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Marie Clements
"One of the biggest things for me in this story is resilience; the resilience to return home and to start a cycle again. This film can ignite in people the joy of what's beautiful and simple and profound in our lives." MORE
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Hunter Cope
“Writing The Last Salmon was an exciting, illuminating experience that I was humbled to be a part of. It’s a fun, funny, and heartfelt story I’m thrilled to share with the world.” MORE
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Noelani Auguston
“You wanna save your homelands? We gotta start with salmon. And this film is a start for you!”
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Phil Davis
“To quote the late Billy Frank Jr, ‘To the degree that we succeed in protecting salmon, we generate the spirit to survive ourselves.’ I firmly believe this film can move us further down this path.”
The Animation/The Music
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Up to one-third of The Last Salmon’s 90-minute runtime will unfold through animation, seamlessly woven into the live-action story. These sequences represent our young protagonist’s imagination as he begins to understand the salmon’s epic journey, turning ecological learning into visual poetry.
Inspired by the lyricism of Flow and the quiet magic of The Snowman, these sequences are shaped by Indigenous design and worldview, inviting audiences into a story that feels ancient, mysterious, and culturally alive.
Kelsey Mata Foote, a Tlingit and Filipina illustrator, writer, and voice actor from Southeast Alaska, will lead the development of the character and background designs as Art Director for our film. Maritza Louis, a member of the Syilx/Secwépemc Nations from the Okanagan/Shuswap regions of BC, Canada, will assist in the production of our animation. Kelsey and Maritza are both strong advocates for more indigenous representation in animation, a priority for this project.
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Done well, music can elevate a film by capturing the emotion of the story through beautifully crafted score and original compositions. Director Marie Clements has always used music in this way. Her epic film and mini series Bones of Crows won top honors for its original score at the 2023 Leo Awards in Canada. Her 2017 musical documentary The Road Forward took home similar honors in 2018. We will be building an accomplished collaboration of Native and non-Native talent to create this kind of musical magic in The Last Salmon.
The Locations
Our story takes place on an imaginary river called The Chuketna. Named after the first humans who settled along its banks thousands of years ago, the embattled river now struggles to sustain its once mighty run of returning salmon, with the Chuketna people’s very existence hanging in the balance. While the names and places depicted in this film are fictionalized, they represent very real challenges and choices we face today if we are to save our salmon.
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Given the variety of place-based attributes in the story, there really wasn’t one real-world location that served them all. Therefore, through the magic of movie making, we will blend and merge a variety of locations to create seamless and connected live-action settings.
Our top location choices are Darrington, WA and the Sauk-Suiattle Reservation, both set along the Sauk River that drains out of the west slopes of the Cascade Range. The estuary of the Nooksack River and the port of Bellingham could be excellent sites for the port scenes, as could Port Angeles or Westport, WA given their more coastal settings.
David Suzuki, esteemed environmentalist and former host of The Nature of Things, shared his thoughts on our greatest challenge and how salmon, and stories like The Last Salmon, can be our beacon of hope. He writes:
“The Last Salmon is a film that matters—because it reminds us of something we’ve nearly forgotten. I believe one of the greatest challenges of our time is the loss of an ecocentric worldview—a deep understanding that we are embedded in and dependent on the natural world. We need to rekindle our relationship with nature, and few stories do this more powerfully than the journey of salmon.
When I read The Last Salmon script, I was moved by the bond between the young boy and his Elder as they journeyed through the salmon’s story of hope and resilience. In it, I saw my own relationship with my grandchildren. My deepest hope is that we continue passing the wisdom of the past to future generations—and stories like The Last Salmon can help light that path.”
The Hope
Billy Frank Jr. taught us: As the salmon go, so will we go.
The Last Salmon is a story of wonder and a call to action, told through a child’s hopeful gaze, in the time we need it most.
Join us in this joyful filmmaking journey.