"The Water Front" gets a front page review by Princeton Packet. To read the article click here

Earthly Matters: Food, shelter and water are the focus for the Princeton Environmental Film Festival, by Ilene Dube

Concordia Journal features an article on the premiere of The Water Front.

Despite increasing pressure from citizen groups around the world to have water recognized as a human right, the Canadian government has twice opposed moves by the United Nations to enshrine the right to water in international law. Liz Miller has seen firsthand what happens when a community can no longer access water.

To read the full article click here.

The Montreal Gazette interviews Liz Miller for an article on the Montreal documentary film festival.
"Miller, whose film The Water Front screens at the RIDM this year, said a crisis in the way news is delivered is part of what drives a young demographic to the documentary genre".

Reality bites; In an age of 30-second news clips, our documentary film festival serves up fans a feast they can really sink their teeth into.

Sure, the Rencontres Internationales du Documentaire de Montréal is celebrating its 10th edition, but that's not the only thing keeping a smile on the face of the documentary film festival's general director, Marie-Anne Raulet. The RIDM, it seems, is in an enviable position: its attendance has increased sixfold over the years and - perhaps more importantly - its demographic is getting younger.

To read the full article:

http://www.thewaterfrontmovie.com/node/83
http://www.canada.com/cityguides/montreal/story.html?id=7fc5d3a8-c9b3-4f...

by BERNARD PERUSSE, Montreal Gazette, 03 November 2007
Copyright © 2007 Montreal Gazette

"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.

The Water Front was recentely mentioned in the New York Times. You can read the full article here

Here's an excerpt:

By ROBIN FINN
Published: November 9, 2007

“Besides being considered one of the few ethnographic festivals around, one of our sweet spots is that we’ve remained noncompetitive and kept it true to the original mission, true to the spirit of Margaret Mead,” she says. Social justice, the environment and cultural immersion are recurring themes at the Mead. Initially staged in 1977 as a way of celebrating Mead’s 75th birthday and 50-year affiliation with the museum, the festival evolved into an annual event in the 1980s. Now in its 31st season, it is the longest-running international documentary festival in the United States and strict about programming in one sense only.

“Some filmmakers are out to undermine, exploit and expose their subjects, but that’s not our agenda here,” she says. “We want to bring up issues, ethical issues, that don’t usually get addressed in the mainstream cinema. Films that provoke extreme emotions, including dislike, interest us; if the experience voiced is authentic, there can be a value in that. We don’t just select the films that make the curator happy.”

Although she does have her favorites. Take this year’s “The Waterfront,” which chronicles a community battle over water privatization in Highland Park, Mich. “Films like this,” she says, “are a way of putting a mirror to our society.” As is “Gimme Green,” an exploration of the nation’s $40-billion-a-year obsession with pristine lawns."

"THE WATER FRONT is like a dramatic play with a gripping plot following a post industrial community in their struggle against water privatization. The sound track mixes Detroit electronic and Joe Carter's blues and resonates with anyone who uses their water tap and takes pride in their home."

Listen to Joe Carter and The Water Front theme music here

The Water Front, a new documentary about a community's struggle against water privatization, was recently pre-screened in Highland Park, MI—for the very community that it documents. The film shows citizens struggling with the question of how a valuable and essential public resource should be managed in the midst of an economic crisis that silences claims to human rights.

Water privatization battles are popping up all over the U.S., and indeed, the world, but mainstream news coverage rarely captures the anguish and inequity that is being experienced on the ground. Fortunately, readers of OntheCommons.org occasionally send along some excellent dispatches about their water wars (such as Jim Wilfong's account of the struggles against Nestle in Maine). I am pleased to post an account by Eunice Yu of a battle against water privatization now underway in Highland Park, Michigan, an economically troubled town. Yu writes:

The Water Front, a new documentary about a community's struggle against water privatization, was recently pre-screened in Highland Park, MI—for the very community that it documents. The film shows citizens struggling with the question of how a valuable and essential public resource should be managed in the midst of an economic crisis that silences claims to human rights.

The filmmaker, Liz Miller, insisted on showing the film for those in Highland Park before others saw the whole version, but you can see the trailer here. Last Friday night, at Highland Park Community High School, more than sixty people cheered and jeered as they saw themselves and the bureaucracy they struggled against. In contrast to Thirst, another recent film about water privatization, The Water Front is more like a dramatic play with a gripping plot. The music (mixed down the street from the high school, a great combo of Detroit electronic and Joe Carter's blues) provides a moving background as the cast engages in a hometown struggle that can resonate with anyone who uses their tap and takes pride in their home.

During the discussion afterward, locals revealed an immense love for their city, one that has been seen only as a dilapidated and bankrupt mess by outsiders and those in the state capitol. Highland Park is relatively small, only a couple of blocks incorporated in 1918 by Henry Ford for his pioneering Model T plant that has since been surrounded by the sprawling growth of Detroit. At the time, HP was a booming place, with the progressive $5/day wage and many beautiful brick homes. HP'ers on Friday night emphasized how they had a deeply-felt identity as the seat of working-class America whose homes and successes had historic meaning.

Unfortunately, the economic troubles familiar to Detroit since have also affected Highland Park mercilessly. On the verge of bankruptcy in 2001, the governor appointed an emergency financial manager for Highland Park who described herself as basically having the powers of a "dictator." To pull the city out of debt, she began aggressively collecting water bills from the local residents. Sticker-shock ensued as bills suddenly skyrocketed into the $2-4000/year range. When people were unable to pay, their water was shut off. When water was shut off, children were at risk of being taken away by social services. And when residents couldn't pay their back bills, these were rolled into their property taxes and they were threatened with eviction.

Ford's other legacy is the enormous water plant built to sustain the long-gone auto industry. From the financial manager's perspective, the water plant was the most valuable commodity in the city, and she began courting private bottlers. When local citizen groups found out, they were outraged. The Water Front takes you to meet all of these people, and shows an inspiring example of effective and dedicated citizen action that prevented a privatization effort.

But as water becomes scarcer and more expensive globally, managers of poor cities like HP all over will be tempted to sell their most precious commodity even if they are unable to provide water to their own communities. They need viable alternative models and a commons movement that shares their dilemmas so that our beautiful Great Lakes water does not succumb to the Siren's call of the quick and fickle market.

By
Eunice Yu

This excerpt from Detroit's Metro Times speaks to the film's potential as a resource for local action.

There is, however, one aspect of the film that didn't change. From the outset, Miller, an assistant professor of communication studies at Montreal's Concordia University, wanted the documentary to be a catalyst for dialogue and an inspiration for individuals in search of solutions.

In that regard she's already found success. Following a premiere showing in Highland Park earlier this month, about 20 environmental groups met to discuss how they could use The Water Front as an educational and organizing tool.

"Privatization is a very real threat," says Lynna Kaucheck, a community organizer for the Ann Arbor-based group Clean Water Action. "We think we can use this film to get people thinking about the issue of water rights."