About the Film
Water On The Table is a character-driven, social-issue documentary by Liz Marshall that explores Canada's relationship to its freshwater, arguably its most precious natural resource. The film asks the question: is water a commercial good like running shoes or Cocoa-Cola? Or, is water a human right like air?
The film features Maude Barlow who is considered an "international water-warrior" for her crusade against the privatization of water.
"Water must be declared a public trust that belongs to the people, the ecosystem and the future, and preserved for all time and practice in law. Clean water must be delivered as a public service, not a profitable commodity." Says Barlow.
Water On The Table intimately captures the public face of Maude Barlow as well as the unscripted woman behind the scenes. The film shadows her life on the road in Canada and the United States over the course of a year as she leads an unrelenting schedule of engagements and frontline community actions.
From 2008 - 2009 Barlow served as the U.N. Senior Advisor on Water to Father Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann, President of the 63rd Session of the United Nations, and the camera was there.
Water On The Table is not only a portrait of an activist; it is a poetic-essay that weaves Maude Barlow's day-in-the-life between several dramatic and artfully crafted debates. Her opponents are political giants in the world of policy and economics and they argue that water is no different than any other resource, that the best way to protect freshwater is to privatize it, and that Canada is water-rich. It is proposed that Canada bulk-export its water to the United States as it faces an imminent water crisis.
Cinematic water compositions by Steve Cosens create pause and reflection. Haiku-style images linger on watersheds, wetlands, rivers, estuaries, waterfalls and lakes - bridging themes and questions and elevating water beyond the political framework.
While many embrace Barlow as a leader in the global water justice movement, others regard her as an alarmist and agitator. She became involved with the issue of Canada's water in the mid-1980s, when it became clear that it was to be included as a tradable good in the Canada -US Free Trade Agreement. She tried very hard to get it removed, then stayed involved in the fight for Canada's water when it was included in NAFTA as not only a good, but also as an investment.
Water has since defined her.