On July 25th, 2008, a dozen intrepid Angelenos took to their boats and kayaks and embarked on an ambitious and absurd mission to navigate the entire length of the LA River.

Rock the Boat follows this controversial kayaking expedition down the cemented-in LA River, and looks at how the transformation of Los Angeles from a 'dream city of endless possibility' to the nightmare sprawl it is today arose from our habit of using, managing and re-imagining nature in a single-minded quest for more.

Whether dealing with droughts and water shortage, or fires, or floods, one lesson is clear: our urbanization has reached critical mass.

How do we transform our city landscapes to actually benefit the environment?
How do we manage our natural resources to create livable, sustainable cities in our immediate future?

These are some of the questions the film grapples with, all the while looking at LA as both a model of American urban technology and home to a new environmental awareness.