Browse films

Riding the Highline

Kai Carlson-Wee
Anders Carlson-Wee
United States, 2015, 16 min.

In English.
Includes adult language.

AIFF Award Winner:
Jury Award for Creative Achievement

Riding the Highline follows poet brothers Kai and Anders Carlson-Wee on a train hopping trip across the northernmost railroad line in the country, from Minneapolis, Minnesota to the Cascade Mountains in Washington State. The film begins with the brothers waiting for trains in the Northtown Yard in Minneapolis, and follows their journey across the American West, using narrative cut scenes, poetry written by the brothers, and still photographs taken along the way. Over the course of four days, the brothers pass through a number of train yards and small towns before reaching the Columbia River Basin in Wenatchee, WA.

Director's Statement

I want to make films that are built on the narrative impulses of poetry.

Category: Documentary.
Themes: Poetry, Family, Road Trip.

More in Documentary

  • Still Standing

    Still Standing

    Victor Tadashi Suarez
    United States, 2026, 10 min.

    After the Los Angeles wildfires leave thousands of homes contaminated with toxic ash, residents face an impossible choice: should they risk their health to... more ›

  • Middle Grounds

    Middle Grounds

    Kevin Smokler & Christopher Boone
    United States, 2026, 27 min.

    A documentary short about Bison Coffeehouse, a Northeast Portland hub for coffee, community, and conversation — things that unite us when so much divides... more ›

  • No Baby on Board

    No Baby on Board

    Julia Kots
    United States, 2025, 79 min.

    When the filmmaker tries to donate her frozen eggs, she delves into a hilarious and heartbreaking debate about why women are opting out of motherhood... more ›