By Yanela Zapata

Today in the Eduardo Brito hall of the National Theater, there was more flowing than air. There was a strongly felt motivation to find solutions to the water crisis, one of the most important political-environmental issues today and a focus of one of the film in the II Dominican Global Film Festival of 2008.

It was ten in the morning. The students took their seats. The lights were turned off and on the screen came the words: “Flow: For the Love of Water,” an audiovisual investigation carried out under the direction of Irene Salina of France and the production of Steven Starr of the United States.

“Thousands of people have lived without love but no one can lived without water,¨ were the words on the screen at the beginning of this documentary which made the viewers sit and think about them.

The privatization of water, the damage caused by excessive use of pesticides and the question of who controls water are the three themes around which the film gravitates. The scenes in the film look at different communities around the world and tell their stories.

The documentary exposes those who are responsible for taking advantage of the water and encourages people to become aware of the problem and to work toward a solution.

The students´ applause was overwhelming after the 93-minute film which made Steven Starr stand and thank them. He also offered a bit of advice: “You are the future of the nation and of the water.”

Steven Starr, Héctor Rodríguez Pimentel, Juan José Gómez

The free-for-all conversation quickly turned into a serious discussion when Steven Starr began the panel debate. The panel included Héctor Rodríguez Pimentel, Executive Director of the Institute for Hydraulic Research (INDRHI); Juan José Gómez, Director General of the National Water Authority (ANAGUA) and a Canadian organization, Water for People.

“There will be a national water policy to balance the production and consumption of drinking water," said Rodríguez Pimentel in his speech which centered on the efforts being made in the Dominican Republic to confront the environmental crisis.

Representatives from the two non-governmental organizations ANAGUA and “Water for People” spoke about projects underway to give people access to safe and good quality water.

Following a question-and-answer session and lots of applause from students, the presentation of “Flow: For the Love of Water,” ended, having not only created an awareness among viewers but also having made people aware that water is a basic human right worthy of struggling for its fair distribution.

“Yes, we can,” concluded Starr with a smile and with the hope that this passion for water will also become part of each and everyone´s life who sees the documentary.