At some point over the past several weeks, my eyes were opened to the global water crisis, but I see now that I’m only beginning to get the full picture. Last week, I posted an entry on Irena Salina’s “FLOW,” and last night, my wife and I had another chance to see that amazing film thanks to it being repeated on the Sundance Channel. This morning, we found it there again and watched more of it with our 8-year-old daughter. After these viewings, I realized that there was a second powerful film I had recently seen (thanks again to Sundance Channel) on this subject: filmmaker Kevin McMahon’s “WATERLIFE.”
Directed by McMahon, narrated by Gord Downie of The Tragically Hip and featuring an all-star soundtrack, “WATERLIFE” was produced by Kristina McLaughlin and Michael McMahon of Primitive Entertainment in co-production with Gerry Flahive and the National Film Board of Canada and Mark Achbar of The Corporation. Winner of the Special Jury Prize at this year’s international Hot Docs Film Festival, “WATERLIFE” follows the epic cascade of the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean… from the icy cliffs of Lake Superior to the ornate fountains of Chicago to the sewers of Windsor, documenting the science and underlying fate of what amounts to nearly 20 percent of the Earth’s fresh water supply. The source of drinking water, fish and life itself for millions of people, the Great Lakes are under massive assault by toxins, sewage, invasive species, dropping water levels… and profound apathy. Some scientists believe the lakes are on the verge of ecological collapse, and not surprisingly, the main issues brought to light in “FLOW” (among them, corporate and governmental greed, and individuals trusting their governments to do what’s right, and failing to act to protect themselves) are again to blame.
To me, both films are essential viewing for those of us wishing to understand the source of a major, growing global problem so that we can join together to begin turning the tide. At the end of “FLOW,” viewers see groups of people organizing in major cities around the world to protect their collective rights, and what really got my attention were these (or similar) words from Maude Barlow, the co-author of Blue Gold: The Fight to Stop the Corporate Theft of the World’s Water
Solving the problem is not a matter of knowledge… it’s a matter of political will.
And another interview subject profoundly stated:
This is not a Republican issue, nor a Democrat issue… it’s a people issue.
If you are reading this, please note that, as I’m writing this, the official trailers for these films have been viewed by fewer than 10,000 people on YouTube. So although we must muster our collective political will and do what we can to impose it politically, spreading knowledge of the nature, causes, effects and extent of this predicament is a very necessary first step. For that reason, I say to Kevin McMahon and his production partners, and to Irena Salina and hers, thank you thank you for your thoughtful, illuminating films, and for taking on the good fight we all must participate in to protect life, human rights, and the Earth’s natural resources vital to our existence, and that of our children. And to the individuals behind the Sundance Institute, I am also extremely grateful for all you do to make the world a better place.
Greetings… and thank you.
Anna Hopn