Flanked by composer Sammy Tedder and scriptwriter Jane Atkins, Blountstown filmmaker Elam Stoltzfus on Monday debuted a rough cut of the first eight minutes of his new documentary, Apalachicola River: An American Treasure.

Within an ambitious project that tackles the art, science, nature, politics and spiritualism associated with the Apalachicola River and its tributaries, the introduction both grounds the documentary in the river’s history, and represents an unorthodox digression into traditional, narrative drama.

The documentary opens with the image of Dr. Andrew Ramsey, a Blountstown native and the former chief of Florida’s Northwestern tribe of Creek Indians, cloaked in traditional Creek dress.

As Ramsey recounts days spent fishing with his Creek grandmother along the Apalachicola River, characters played by the young Tyler Wertenberger and Brooks Ann Hayes emerge to reenact Ramsey’s memory.

As they fish, Hayes schools Wertenberger in the river’s history, and the young boy summons to life a cast of characters that include the Spanish explorer Cabeza de Vaca and a runaway slave who seeks shelter along the river bank.

Ramsey reemerges at the end of the segment to instruct a crowd of school children: "The Apalachicola belongs to everyone. You can go anywhere you want."

The engaging, fast-paced history lesson comes courtesy of scriptwriter Atkins, a Blountstown native and California transplant who has scripted over 300 hours of television and earned an Emmy for her work on the television series "Santa Barbara."

Stoltzfus, an acclaimed documentary filmmaker whose latest award winning work, Living Waters: Aquatic Preserves of Florida featured St. Joe Bay, asked Atkins to compose a unique treatment for the film’s opening scenes.

He wanted to move beyond the History Channel’s technique of dubbing narration to still historical images.

"Elam had said he was thinking about a narrator that was like a little Mark Twain character," said Atkins. "I had that in the back of my head."

The remainder of the documentary will be strictly realism.

In writing the documentary, Atkins worked from interview transcripts provided by Stoltzfus, who has filmed an impressive array of subjects in Blountstown, Wewahitchka, Apalachicola, Eastpoint and Chattahoochee.

Before filming began, Stoltzfus and Atkins worked out the documentary’s general structure and hashed out their respective assignments.

"I told Jane, ‘You give me the words, I’ll put the pictures to it,’" said Stoltzfus.

With Stoltzfus serving as narrator, the 57-minute film will feature snippets from interviews with local shrimpers, oystermen and restaurateurs and tackle important topics such as river preservation and dredging.

The towering sand pile south of Wewahitchka commonly called "Sand Mountain," a dumping site for past Corp of Engineers dredging campaigns, features prominently in the film, as do remarks by dredging opponents Senator Bob Graham (D-FL) and Wewahitchka activist Marilyn Blackwell.

While showcasing the work of area scientists and environmentalists, Stoltzfus also explores the spiritual power of the river.

Stoltzfus filmed an authentic river baptism conducted by Prayer Chainers Mission of God Church in Blountstown.

He had asked the church’s pastor, Geraldine Sheard for help in recreating a river baptism when she stunned him with an unexpected response.

"She said, ‘That’s how we do it,’ and I thought she was kidding," said Stoltzfus.

Artwork inspired by the Apalachicola River provides a powerful counterpoint to the documentary footage.

Like Stoltzfus’ Living Waters documentary, Apalachicola River features the photographs of world-renowned fine art photographer Clyde Butcher.

Butcher documents the river’s landscape, while his photojournalist counterpart, Richard Bickel, documents its people. Both will publish accompanying coffee table books.

Sopchoppy musician Tedder provides the haunting score, which features the sounds of flutes made from Apalachicola River canes and drums made from hollow cypress and black gum logs.

Tedder worked with Stoltzfus on the Living Waters documentary, and the two are comfortable collaborators.

"This is our second go round, so we kind of speak the same language," said Stoltzfus.

A Southeastern Pennsylvania native, Stoltzfus has been enamored with the Apalachicola River since moving to Blountstown 20 years ago.

He is drawn to the river’s mystery and wild beauty, and is pleased to have had the opportunity to tell its story.

"It’s one of those things that has slowly been gnawing on me – you need to do this, you need to do this," said Stoltzfus.

Amiable locals with a shared love for the river helped actualize Stoltzfus’ vision, provided the roadmap for what has been a long and rewarding journey.

"I learned a lot," said Stoltzfus. "It’s really an honor that people trust you with their stories."

Apalachicola River: An American Treasure will premiere at the Mary Brogan Museum and will feature a collection of images by photographers Clyde Butcher and Richard Bickel, as well as panels featuring Sammy Tedder’s design of the score’s river cane flutes.

The documentary will appear on PBS in 2006, and as part of a traveling tour with stops in nearby cities.

For more information, visit the documentary’s website: www.apalachicolaamericantreasure.com.