Flow: For the Love of Water

“If the wars of [the 21st] century were fought over oil,
the wars of the next century will be fought over water.”
—Ismail Serageldin, former VP, World Bank,
Newsweek, 1995


Dwindling reserves of petroleum and a multi-billion dollar war have forced the world’s populations to rethink levels oil consumption. Yet most people would be surprised to learn that the world faces a water crisis, potentially more damaging then the ills of oil scarcity. In her documentary, Flow: For the Love of Water, French born filmmaker Irena Salina provides an eloquent account of how pollution and corporate interests are threatening the safety and accessibility of our most valuable resource.

The film visits South African shantytowns and Bolivian villages, where multinational corporations, backed by the World Bank, monopolize clean water at the cost of human suffering. Equally alarming are revelations of pollutants and chemicals creeping into our water sources, disrupting the balance of the eco-system and spawning sickness. Annually deaths from dirty water trump the mortality caused by AIDs and malaria. At the heart of the problem is that water has become big business, just third to oil worldwide. Flow presents a frightening snapshot of fish on Prozac, rocket-fuel-tainted drinking water, and the human toll that occurs when corporations are allowed to control a life sustaining resource.


Beyond grim statistics and heartbreaking personal accounts, Flow offers hope in new technologies and a heightened awareness. Among the solutions is a grassoots water co-op in India, where residents secure their own access to clean water. This critical documentary brings together the brightest scientists, water experts, and human rights workers in an eloquent plea to save the world’s water. Flow is more then a critique; it’s a call to action.

For more information on the film and about how you can help visit www.flowthefilm.com