Thirst for Justice

Thirst for Justice

Directed by Leana Hosea
U.K., U.S. | 2019 | Documentary
72 minutes | English

“Thirst for Justice” profiles three diverse women: Janene, a Navajo in Sanders, Ariz., where uranium mining has long contaminated the drinking supply; and two residents of Flint, Mich. — Nayyirah, an African-American activist, and Christine, a white, blue-collar, stay-at-home mom — where a putative cost-saving measure that switched the city’s water source caused pipes to corrode and disastrously elevated lead levels in residents. Finding common cause in the contaminated drinking water that has caused serious health issues in their communities and families, the women eventually meet in Standing Rock, where Janene and Nayyirah are among the protesters opposing the Dakota Access Pipeline, and in Flint, which Janene visits. The film also offers a considerably wider view than just the stories of the trio of women at its center, interviewing experts, unpacking the history (and greed) behind the two cases of water contamination, documenting specific cases of illness and death linked to the deadly water, and exploring the ways in which corporate exploitation of resources are prioritized over the rights of citizens (particularly those who are marginalized by race or class).

Shown with