We Made Every Living Thing from Water

In this documentary independent journalist Paul Cochrane and researcher Dr. Karim Eid-Sabbagh investigate the political economy of water in Lebanon – how the flows of water are shaped by power and capital. Filmed in the wake of the July 2015 trash crisis, the film highlights the dangerous impact environmental degradation is having on the country and its water resources, and how in the face of governmental disregard for ecological concerns the public is starting to mobilize in order to protect a common resource. Based on the doctoral thesis of Karim, the 40-minute documentary shows how politics, sectarianism, development agencies and economics produce a specific management, and mismanagement, of Lebanon’s water resources. It discusses the ecological and health effects of the dramatic deterioration in quality and the unsustainable water use patterns that are the result of the private sector focused policies of the government and aid agencies.

Duration: 40 minutes; Languages: English and Arabic; Written and Directed by Paul Cochrane and Karim Eid-Sabbagh (Beirut, Lebanon).