Exclusive: Crystal Moselle Talks New Documentary ‘Our Dream of Water’

Director Crystal Moselle on the making of her new documentary, “Our Dream of Water.”

Our Dream of Water will premiere on National Geographic on World Water Day, March 22nd, at 6pm EST. Read our review of the documentary here.

You give us stories of women in this film. How do you think exploring the stories of specifically women affected your understanding of the global issue that is the water crisis?

Crystal Moselle: Stella Artois commissioned me to do this project as a part of the “Buy A Lady A Drink” campaign. The fact is that women are affected by the water crisis much more than men—they’re the ones caring for the home and going out to get the water everyday. It’s kind of become their role, and that’s why we focus on women.

What was your interaction like with these women? Was there a feminine bond that helped them tell their story?

Crystal Moselle: I have a very strong instinct when it comes to choosing characters. I always know when someone is the right person for me to follow and develop a story. When we were on the ground, we explored different neighborhoods that had issues with water—and for the first few days, I was trying to find characters there. When we were in a small town in Haiti, I saw a pregnant woman. I was so curious; I asked where she gave birth, and she said that there was a midwife on the next block. So I went to the next block and started talking to this man, the midwife’s husband, and all of a sudden I hear some singing. I look around and there’s Marie. The moment I saw her, I just knew that she was going to be our character. If you watch the film, she has an incredibly powerful presence. So for me, it’s not necessarily a bond with women, but more of a bond with a specific character.

What were your anticipations for the project before arriving in Haiti, Peru, and Kenya?

Crystal Moselle: I knew that I had to find the right characters to deliver this message, in order for the audience to then feel and have a connection with the issue. After I met Marie is Haiti, I was so excited—I just wanted to know about this issue in many different levels. So each country we went to, we tried to find a different angle. It wasn’t about telling the same story over and over again. We wanted to tell it from a single woman and then from a group of women—because there are also cultural differences that affect this issue and how people deal with it.

What was it like on the ground filming Our Dream of Water? 

Crystal Moselle: The team was very small: it was myself, a DP, an assistant with a second camera, and a sound person. We always worked with locals. I really like to incorporate locals into the process for many different reasons. I like to bring employment to the people of the country—and I obviously don’t speak the language, so having a fixer who knows the culture was important. In Haiti we had these two sisters, and it was really helpful to have them there because they were able to understand the cultural aspects of Haiti and the position their country is in. It’s also not easy to have someone come into your community who is clearly not from there, but the sisters were able to help us bond with the locals in a way we couldn’t have on our own.