Curtis D. Smith is the associate producer of The Water Front. This award winning documentary film follows one of the first water battles playing out in North America, in Highland park, Michigan, from an environmental justice perspective.

Mr. Smith is the Housing Development Director for the Coalition on Temporary Shelter (COTS). His recent activities have focused on developing affordable housing in Detroit, Michigan for homeless families with children.

In addition, Mr. Smith’s other experiences include serving as the Acting Director for the Department of Community and Economic Development for the City of Highland Park, Michigan, and as a community planner with the Boston, Massachusetts based, urban planning consulting firm, Capital Needs Unlimited. Both of these positions focused on developing affordable housing in the metropolitan Detroit area.

Mr. Smith is a graduate of the University of Michigan, having received a Master of Urban and Regional Planning (Economic Development) and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science.

www.waterfrontmovie.com

http://www.cbc.ca/outfront/media/2009%20MP3's/09-05-01-outfront.mp3

"Water is not only an issue affecting poor countries. Everywhere in the world, people are facing a diversity of difficulties in accessing water. And the characters Liz Miller choose to portray in her film are particularly strong, in their interesting way of facing up the situation, reacting, gathering, getting involved and fighting together. Covering all water issues, from pricing to privatization and – above all- the human right to WATER, this film sends a strong message on the way public participation and action can overcome problems".

Melanie Giard, Communication Officer at the World Water Council and Kostas Vassilakis, Official Secretary of the Special Permanente Environment Protection Committee.

http://earthvisionfest.org

Miller discussed how to strategically use documentary film to extend its story beyond the screen as a powerful advocacy vehicle for complex social issues.

For more information, visit http://www.centerforsocialmedia.org/blogs/future_of_public_media/lizmill...

Meg Hewings of The Hour interviews Liz Miller
about the film

Montreal-based filmmaker Liz Miller's latest doc, The Water Front, follows an array of characters - from federal financial consultants to local plant workers, and from city councillors to local activists - in what becomes a kind of docu-suspense about one community's struggles to save its most basic resource. In a last ditch effort, will residents save their municipal water tower from being outsourced to a private company with zero previous expertise in water management?

For complete article:
http://www.hour.ca/film/film.aspx?iIDArticle=13881

info(at)thewaterfrontmovie.org 

Q: What inspired you to make this film?

A: I wanted to explore the impact of water politics on women’s lives. With a pre-production grant from Paul Robeson, I traveled to Africa, Latin America, Europe, and North America exploring water stories. I even spent a week at Suez, the big transnational water corporation in France. My explorations ended when I visited Highland Park and discovered that residents of one of the poorest cities in America had these outrageous water bills. Having grown up in Baltimore, Maryland, I felt like this could easily be my home city. That realization forced me to narrow my focus and probe deeper. I was drawn to the incredibly strong women in this community who were approaching the crisis from very different positions. (I should mention that I am working on a “water and women” channel through blip TV to present all the footage I gathered in pre-production.)

 To read the rest of the article click on this link 

http://www.divinecaroline.com/article/30378/38006