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

  • Desert Secrets

    Desert Secrets

    Mark Serao
    United States, 2025, 54 min.

    When Jamie Yazzie suddenly disappears, her family members are caught entirely by surprise. Always smiling and a reliable Indian Health... more ›

  • The Original Badass

    The Original Badass

    Simantini Chakraborty
    United States, 2024, 11 min.

    A group of award-winning filmmakers have created this powerfully-immersive and fast-paced short documentary, which spans numerous decades of American... more ›

  • Going Postal: The Legacy Foretold

    Going Postal: The Legacy Foretold

    Tad Sallee and Jason Sikorsky
    United States, 2025, 122 min.

    Uncensored and unapologetic, this Tucson produced, feature-length documentary delves into the 25-year saga of Postal, the infamous video game franchise by... more ›