Worldwide water crisis explored at Dryden with FLOW

Award-winning documentary screens Saturday, Nov. 22, followed by panel discussion featuring Sierra Club and Salva Dut

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The Dryden Theatre at George Eastman House continues its Human Spirit film series in November with the critically acclaimed documentary FLOW: For Love of Water, screening at 8 p.m. Saturday Nov. 22, followed by a panel discussion. The film documents the worldwide fight for access to free water and the affects a dwindling supply has on health, prosperity, and security.

Filmmaker Irena Salina builds a case against the growing privatization of the world's dwindling fresh water supply. She spent five years interviewing experts, activists, and corporate representatives. FLOW (US 2008, 83 min.) introduces viewers to, among others, an African shantytown where citizens secretly reconnect their water pipes; a "water guru" who promotes community-based initiatives in India; and a Canadian author who exposes the disturbing realities behind the global bottled-water business.

The New York Times said the film is, "an informed and heartfelt examination of the tug of war between public health and private interests," and the New York Daily News, noted, "Touching on everything from the cost citizens of poor countries pay for water to corporate hoodwinking in the bottled-water business, FLOW makes you thirsty for more information."

The panelists taking part in the post-film discussion on Nov. 22 are Salva Dut, a native of Sudan, Africa, living in Rochester, who has dedicated his life to drilling wells and providing safe drinking water in his native land; M. Ann Howard, associate professor of Science, Technology & Society, Rochester Institute of Technology; and Wayne Howard, chairman of the Sierra Club Great Lakes Committee.

"Water is the sleeping giant issue of the 21st century and we all need to wake up about it," said Robert Redford, as noted on the film's homepage. "FLOW opens our eyes about the greatest threat of our time — the global water crisis. It is a compelling and passionate film. It's engaging narrative will grip the viewer." FLOW made its Rochester debut in May during the Rochester High Falls International Film Festival.

Admission to FLOW is $7 general admission and $5 members and students. Complete listings and information for the Human Spirit film series can be found at dryden.eastmanhouse.org. You may also call (585) 271-3361 for more information. The Dryden Theatre at George Eastman House is located at 900 East Ave., Rochester.

The Human Spirit series, launched in September and continuing through May 2009, features films that explore the potential to add meaning in one's life through contributions to the lives of others.

Attention Media: For additional information or high-resolution images, please fill out this form to obtain the address of the Press Room's FTP site.