Meet the Filmmakers: Irena Salina--'FLOW'

Over the next few weeks, we at IDA will be introducing our community to the filmmakers whose work will be represented in the DocuWeek^TM Theatrical Documentary Showcase, August 8-14 in New York City and August 22-28 in Los Angeles. We asked the filmmakers to share the stories behind their films-the inspirations, the challenges and obstacles, the goals and objectives, the reactions to their films so far.

So, to continue this series of conversations, here is Irena Salina, director of FLOW.

Synopsis: Irena Salina's award-winning documentary investigates what experts label the most important political and environmental issue of the 21st Century: the world water crisis. Salina builds a case against the growing privatization of the world's dwindling fresh water supply with an unflinching focus on politics, pollution, human rights and the emergence of a domineering world water cartel. Interviews with scientists and activists intelligently reveal the rapidly building crisis, at both the global and human scale, and the film introduces many of the governmental and corporate culprits behind the water grab, while begging the question, "Can anyone really own water?"

IDA: How did you get started in documentary filmmaking?

Irena Salina: My first footstep was in radio journalism, then theater, then film, until I met an American painter who lived in a remote village in Mexico. Her life fascinated me, so I decided to make a documentary film based off her life--Ghost Bird: The Life and Art of Judith Deim. I then fell in love with documentary filmmaking.

IDA: What inspired you to make FLOW?

IS: When you become a parent, your outlook on the world changes, and I started thinking what kind of future we were living for future generations. I had gradually started collecting numerous articles on water until a friend of mine handed me a copy of The Nation; the headline read, ‘Who owns water? Is water going to be the oil of the 21st century?' And the journey started there.

IDA: What were some of the challenges and obstacles in making this film, and how did you overcome them?

IS: I think one of the biggest challenges was patience. This film took almost five years to make. We would go on a trip with a small team, stories would unfold, the enthusiasm of the crew would rise, until we realized we didn't have enough money to go on and months would go by before we could travel again. At one point the money was so scarce that I had no other choice then to go by myself and handle sound and camera on my own. On the other hand, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. I have learned so much in the process and met so many wonderful people that have inspired and encouraged me to move along.

IDA: How did your vision for the film change over the course of the pre-production, production and post-production processes?

IS: Honestly, I had no idea at the beginning where I was going with this film. It's such a big subject. I would do a lot of research, becoming more aware of all the issues as I went along. Some of the stories would lead me to others. After many years, all of the traveling, the people I encountered along the way and the stories, the footage and the information was compiled into hundreds of tapes in an editing room. At that point I felt that to continue the process, the editor really had to absorb all of this and understand the subject. But thank God, our editor was very patient and understanding. Editing the movie was a challenge-not the editing itself, but taking away stories and footage. I had to lose some of my original ideas to convert the footage into a documentary. I always wanted it to be a little more poetic and spiritual, but we had to make some sacrifices in order for the audience to stay focused. This film, more than anything I have ever done or will probably ever do, felt guided; it was something much larger than myself. I felt like it had to be told, and I was the receiver.

IDA: As you've screened FLOW--whether on the festival circuit, or in screening rooms, or in living rooms-how have audiences reacted to the film? What has been most surprising or unexpected about their reactions?

IS: The first screening of FLOW took place at the Sundance Film Festival, and the reaction of the audience was overwhelming. Some people were very emotional, hugging me, thanking me and making promises not to drink bottled water. Others were shocked by the information the film provides, wanting more. An important part of this film is whether the reactions from the audience to the film were positive or negative; the film provokes people to react to what they see. But in a way, it is understandable to have such overwhelming reactions, considering the fact that every human being is made out of 70 percent water and our lives depend on it.

One of the most unexpected reactions happened during a Q&A after one of our screenings, when an elegant man in a suit stood up and raised his hand and started saying, "I worked for more than 10 years in New York as a CEO of one of the two companies mentioned in your film." He paused, as we were all anxious about what he was going to say next. He continued, "I just wanted to say thank you for making this movie because it's true: They don't care about getting water to the people. All they care about is their stock price and having steak dinners with hedge fund managers in New York."

IDA: What docs or docmakers have served as inspirations for you?

IS: There are many documentaries of different genres and different styles that I love. Off the top of my head, Shoah, directed by Claude Lanzmann, is a very disturbing film. I love the poetic style of Agnès Varda, especially in The Cleaners and I. And I recently watched a film that didn't get good reviews but was a movie that I really liked, called F Is for Fake, by Orson Welles. There are so many more.

FLOW will be screening at the Village East Cinema in New York and the Arclight Theater in Sherman Oaks, Calif..

To view the DocuWeek schedule in New York City, visit
http://www.documentary.org/content/docuweek-new-york.

To purchase tickets to DocuWeek NY, visit www.villageeastcinema.com and www.ifccenter.com.

To view the DocuWeek schedule in Los Angeles, visit
http://www.documentary.org/content/docuweek-los-angeles.

To purchase tickets to DocuWeek at the ArcLight in Sherman Oaks, visit www.arclightcinemas.com.