Director Laila Khan has spent the last several years focusing her lens on issues dividing communities around the world. Her most recent documentary, Stolen Water, explores the rampant theft from municipal water supplies in Jordan.
Restrictive water laws, leaking infrastructure, government corruption, the refugee crisis, and climate change have all played a role in making lack of water a flashpoint issue in one of the driest countries in the world.
Over the summer, Khan invited Jordanian Seeds to a screening and discussion of her film. We’re pleased to speak with her about Stolen Water, and her advice to the next generation of women filmmakers.
What first inspired you to investigate water theft in Stolen Water?
As a filmmaker, I’m always looking for subjects that have an element of social consciousness—for subjects that affect the lives of others. I’ve spent so much time in Jordan, and I wanted to do a film on something that matters there. So I was reading the local papers, and I kept seeing news about “water theft” and “water violations.” I had never heard of anything like that before, and I thought to myself, “how can one steal water?” You hear about people stealing physical objects, or even identities … but water? It piqued my curiosity.
Tell me about the process of making Stolen Water. What were some of the challenges? What are some things you learned from the experience?
We collaborated with the Ministry of Water and Irrigation, as well as the national police, to make this documentary happen. They were hesitant at first, because they thought we would portray the government in a bad light. The truth is, there’s a lot of corruption in the system. But my job as a director was to portray all sides of the issue and remain neutral. It’s up to the audience to make their own decisions.
We interviewed some farmers who are stealing water, anonymously of course, to find out not just how they’re stealing water, but why. And they helped reveal some of the larger circumstances at play, like how oftentimes government inspectors won’t even check your meter. They’ll just stop you on the street and issue you a bill. So these people steal to save on the costs of water.
Of course, when I interviewed the minister, he was adamant that they check every meter. But we saw how that’s not true.
What makes water theft such a complex issue in Jordan? Can you explain how it affects the communities you documented?
The fact is, there just isn’t much water in Jordan, so people will go to great lengths to get it. Jordan doesn’t have many natural resources, so it relies on foreign investment. Salaries are low, income is low, social inequality is high. It’s difficult to survive.
And the water theft there isn’t a black-or-white issue. On one side there are these farmers who are stealing, and on the other there’s a system that is corrupt. We went along with the police to a couple of tip-offs; there was one incident on one of the busiest highways in Amman where we found someone had dug a tunnel underneath and had put in pipes to divert water from its source. A single farmer couldn’t have possibly done that. It was an inside job.
Another reason I wanted to make this documentary was to shed light on the plight of the refugees in Jordan, and the toll that it’s taking on the water supply. Refugee camps actually get more water than the average Jordanian, because of the UN and the NGOs based inside the camps helping refugees. So that’s one part of a larger story of the tensions that the refugee crisis is creating within Jordan. There are so many dimensions to water theft that make it a very challenging thing to unravel—and such a potential source of unrest.
Talk to me about your experience meeting with our Seeds in Jordan. Was there anything that you found surprising or thought-provoking?
I was really, really impressed by how, even though they’re young adults, they were so in tune with what is going on around them. And they had some really inventive, big ideas of ways to raise awareness of water theft and water conservation. At one point they were talking about how reforming the entire electoral system would help create a solution.
After filming this documentary, I was worried that maybe the youth of Jordan didn’t really care about saving water or fixing the system, that it’s not a “sexy” enough issue. But the Seeds were so engaged and knowledgeable.
A lot of them looked at it from a social justice perspective; I remember Seeds being critical of how media coverage portrayed all lawbreakers in the same light. It didn’t seem fair to them to compare farmers who need the water with people who steal it for their private pools, or with large companies that harm the environment.
Jordanian Seeds with Laila Khan after viewing Stolen Water.
In honor of International Women’s Day earlier this month, do you have any advice for women filmmakers who are just getting started?
On the most general level, this is such a cutthroat field that it’s really, really important to find your voice as a filmmaker. And that’s something that’s important irrespective of whether you’re male or female.
Second, a lot of people have this preconceived notion that women filmmakers only make films centered around so-called “women’s issues.” But the sooner you realize that you shouldn’t heed limits on yourself, the better. The truth is, you can make anything! The newest Marvel superhero movie is directed by a woman, and it’s on track to make a billion dollars.
The last thing I’d say is be confident. Filmmaking is still a male-dominated environment, but don’t let it bog you down. What matters most is to have a pure intent to whatever material you are approaching, and to believe in the subjects you have, and to stay true to what you believe.
I didn’t know what was happening in Jordan until now. Unless the people you’re trying to assist don’t keep the momentum going it might take forever before it’s combated. Keep up the good work. I’m inspired.