Ru: Water Is Life

Ru: Water Is Life

February 10th, 5:30PM @ Campus Theatre (214 W. Hickory)

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In 2010, we traveled to South Sudan weeks before its referendum for independence. We went to shoot a documentary following the day in the life of a child profoundly affected by her community’s lack of access to clean water. We met and fell in love with Jina Teji, a twelve-year-old girl from Hai Village outside of Yei, Sudan. Jina is the primary caretaker of five younger siblings and a sickly grandmother. Three times a day, Jina made a two-mile circuit to the local water source, a tepid, green hole filled with gray water. The groundwater hollow is the primary source of water for 3000 villagers. Jina’s daily treks to the water hole dominated her life.

We filmed in Hai village because of the incoming well. During our filming week, Water is Basic drilled Hai's first well, which allowed us to see the profound difference one well can make in the life of a child. That one child is the story of water in South Sudan.

Ru (Water is Life) is a story about the strength, joy and resilience of the people of South Sudan, seen through the eyes of a young girl, who have somehow adapted to a nation plagued with the threat of civil war. Two months after filming Ru, South Sudan became a free nation. The doors to bring fresh water to the world's newest country are wide-open. For most in South Sudan, the trek for water is an arduous daily journey. For every Sudanese, water is life.

Film Details

Shorts Program #3
Duration: 19 mins
Director/Producer: Shawn Small
Producer: Michael Gwartney & Steve Rose

Film Website: http://www.ruthefilm.com/
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Long Summary

Ru (Water is Life) started like many independently produced documentaries: the impossible goal of telling a story that pulses with the heartbeat of humanity, with no budget. We were sitting in our local pub on a blazing hot Texas summer day, when my friend Mike brought up the idea of shooting a documentary in Sudan. A mutual friend, Steve Roese, runs a non-profit organization called Water is Basic. For six years, Water is Basic had been travel ling to the war torn regions of South Sudan to dig wells.

Sudan’s fifty- years of civil war left crippling poverty, water-borne diseases, and a lack of basic daily resources in its bloody trail. Ninety percent of the population does not have access to clean water. The task of collecting water is relegated to women and children, and the average distance they walk for water is two and a half miles three times a day. Without water their families will not survive. In Sudan, water is life.

Steve and a dedicated group of volunteers heard about the dire need for wells in the south of Sudan. They went out and raised (in almost every way possible) $500,000 to buy equipment to start a company in Sudan that digs wells. Unlike most other NGOs digging wells in South Sudan, Water is Basic is run by Sudanese. Water is Basic can put in a well for $5000. And all of that money goes into the local economy. (Most NGOs in Sudan charge $25 - $40K to dig a well and the money for the well goes into the NGO—not the local economy). In just a few years, Water is Basic has dug over 400 wells for a fraction of the cost of other NGOs.

As we sat in the pub, we began to talk about a trip Steve was leading to Sudan in November. We thought, “what if we took advantage of the fall trip and shot a documentary to educate others about the colossal need for water in the South Sudan.” Within weeks, the idea solidified as we secured our finances to get to Sudan. Joel Smith, a cinematographer friend, agreed to volunteer his talents. Although he did not join us in Africa, Mike Gwartney secured our cameras, equipment, and funds for our on-site needs. Jason Wendel, the owner of website design firm called Flying Donut Media, came along to shoot stills and assist in any way possible. I (Shawn Small) wrote and directed the film.
But all of our planning would have been in vain if not for the efforts of one special man. Months before we left for Sudan, Steve contacted Bishop Elias Taban, the man who helped establish Water is Basic in Sudan. Bishop Taban was excited about the film project. We gave him the following criteria:

• We wanted to show a day in the life of a local child (10 – 13 years old) who was profoundly affected by the lack of easy access to a clean water source. He or she would have to capture the strength and resilience of the Sudanese people.
• We needed to work in a village where Water is Basic was digging a new well. We wanted to film the process of putting-in a well from beginning to end. We also wanted to see how that particular well affected the life of our child.

We knew this was a tall order to fill and we were nervous when Bishop took us to meet the child. But the instant we met her we were awestruck. Jina Teji is a beautiful twelve-year-old girl with a clear sense of strength in her eyes. As the primary caretaker of five younger siblings and a sickly grandmother, Jina made a two-mile circuit to the local water source, a tepid hole filled with gray ground water run-off, three times a day. The groundwater hollow was the primary source of water for the 3000 inhabitants of Hai village. The daily treks to the water hole dominated Jina’s life.

Even without formal schooling, Jina spoke Arabic, English, and her local language. As we interviewed her, we were impressed with her sharp, intelligent answers. But it was her smile that convinced us that she was to be the focus of the documentary. Jina’s smile was the perfect gift to represent the Sudanese. Our week in Hai was dusty, dirty, and delightful. Somehow, Jina lost the camera in her daily activities. She was a natural. The more we filmed, the more our heart broke for her plight and soared with her determination. We had to stay neutral observers of her life, even though everything in us wanted to help her and the people of Hai. Our greatest surprise in the process was watching Water is Basic put in the well just a quarter of a mile from Jina’s house. For the first time, the 3000 people of Hai would have easy access to clean water. We were there the day the well burst forth with fresh water and joined the party that quickly followed. Jina’s life would be forever altered. (More of her story in the months to come.)

South Sudan voted for independence from Sudan only two months after we filmed Ru, becoming the newest country on the planet. The doors to bring fresh water to South Sudan are wide open. Ru (Water is Life) has profoundly affected all of us who’ve worked on the project. Our hope is that our short documentary will help raise enough awareness and funds to dig another 100 wells in South Sudan. For every human, water is life. For some, it's an arduous daily journey. For others it’s only a tap away. Shouldn’t clean water be accessible to every human on the planet? This is our meager attempt to bring that hope to pass.