About

About 568 Productions:

We are a team of filmmakers at American University’s Center for Environmental Filmmaking who make films centered on the culture, history, and health of the the Chesapeake Bay Region. Reviving the Forgotten River, premiering in April 2024 during Maryland Public Television’s Chesapeake Bay Week, will explore the the water quality issues on the Anacostia and the river heroes who fight for a cleaner, swimmable, and fishable river. Guided by Anacostia Riverkeeper Trey Sherard and community activist Dennis Chestnut, the film takes viewers on a journey through the troubled history and hopeful present of the waterway.

About the Anacostia River

The Anacostia River, nicknamed “DC’s forgotten river,” is a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay. One of only three US rivers to be legally “impaired by trash,” it is also plagued by toxic contaminants such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and, during heavy rains, sewage outflows. But after years of effort from local activists, progress is being made—so much that the Anacostia may soon be swimmable for the first time in over half a century.