In celebration of World Water Day, brewer Stella Artois and National Geographic have joined forces to create Our Dream of Water, a documentary by Crystal Moselle spotlighting the effects of the global water crisis. The film, which was commissioned by Stella Artois, will premiere on National Geographic on March 22nd at 6:00 p.m. EST/PST. Our Dream of Water is an extension of the brewer’s Buy a Lady a Drink campaign, an ongoing partnership with Water.org.
Directed by 2015 Sundance Jury Prize Winner Crystal Moselle, Our Dream of Water focuses on the stories of women in Haiti, Peru and Kenya and their daily struggle to find clean, safe water. Their stories are representative of the 663 million people around the world who lack access to safe water, to help raise awareness of the global water crisis. Water.org served as an advisor on the project.
“It’s hard for many of us to grasp the idea that so many people lack access to clean, safe water,” said director Crystal Moselle. “Last year, Stella Artois asked me to visit Haiti, Peru and Kenya — three countries facing chronic water challenges — to tell stories from on the ground. I hope that this film underscores how critical the issue is and inspires viewers to want to be a part of the solution.”
Our Dream of Water is Moselle’s first film following her highly acclaimed documentary The Wolfpack and follows three women and their communities. The global water crisis disproportionately affects women and children, who collectively spend millions of hours a day collecting water instead of working, caring for family or attending school.
“We pride ourselves in our ability to tell powerful human stories from all corners of the world and Our Dream of Water does just that,” said Courteney Monroe, National Geographic Global Networks CEO. “National Geographic has been committed to protecting the planet and people on it for 129 years and I hope that through this film, we can motivate and mobilize this generation to help put an end to the global water crisis.”
“Having partnered with Crystal throughout the making of Our Dream of Water, I have seen how impactful female filmmakers can be when sharing the stories of other women around the world,” said Harry Lewis, vice president, Stella Artois. “Our commitment doesn’t end here. Through Stella Artois’ partnership with Women in Film we’re going to continue this legacy of supporting female filmmakers, like Crystal, who are using the power of film to provoke change.”
Throughout the remainder of 2017 and beyond, Stella Artois will continue to support other female filmmakers through its multi-year partnership with Women in Film, Los Angeles. The two organizations are committed to empowering the next generation of filmmakers to create female-driven films that are made by women and inspire social change.
Stella Artois and Water.org first launched Buy a Lady a Drink in 2015, leveraging Stella Artois’ global footprint to raise awareness of the water crisis and spark consumer action to address this critical issue. This year, the brand announced a four-year commitment with Water.org to help provide 3.5 million people with long-term, sustainable access to clean water by 2020.
As a part of this year’s campaign, Stella Artois has released a new set of limited edition chalices. For every limited-edition chalice sold, Stella Artois will help Water.org provide five years of clean water for one person in the developing world. This year’s chalices feature designs by local artists in Uganda, Brazil and Cambodia — three countries where Water.org provides support.
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Published Mar 8, 2017 5am EST / 2am PST / 10am GMT / 11am CET