What made you deicide to do the film „H2O"? 
Drinking water is a political and highly explosive topic. This became clear to us through our work on our first water film project "Blue Gold in the Garten Eden". When one State can threaten another with water reduction to extort political concessions, something's just not right.

When a president states that there is no difference between Water and Oil resources - one can exploit and sell one as well as the other - then something is wrong.

When a water authority boastingly says to a neighbour with a water shortage - ‘anyone that needs water can buy it from us' - things are getting foul.

Water should be neither a weapon nor a commodity.  Instead, global drinking water should be recognized through official documentation as a human right. 

Through this experience we became aware that plans were being made to privatize the water utilities in Hamburg, our home.  A large movement composed of various organizations; initiatives and singular persons formed a referendum against these plans. Then it became obvious to us that we had to make a documentary, showing the experiences similar cities in Europe had made after the privatization of their water utilities. 
 

 How were you able to obtain such informative views about the enterprise RWE Thames Water in England and the partially privatized Berlin Water? 
With patients and perseverance.  Privatized water enterprises are used to deflecting journalists and people like us with PR-Videos and Press packages.  A more independent access to their workings was completely unheard of and this just was not good enough for us.  So little by little we were at least able to get some of the managers to tell us about some of the things they were proud of: increased efficiency, worker reduction, reduction of the necessary land-area, and much more, which served to increase the profit of RWE and others to an above average measure.

That the point of view of the company is not always identical to those of its customers, and people interested in receiving a clean and reasonably priced water service, was clearly shown by supplementary information from customers without running water, environmentalists, conscientious plant managers, politicians and representatives of staff reduction to engaged attacies.

All we again offer our sincerest thanks. 
 

 How was it possible to finance such a film? 
We were quite skeptical that we would find, within the legal public broadcasting stations, an editor that would support such critical subject matter.  After running around for about three quarters of a year we were able to find someone, shortly before his retirement, daring enough to carry a part of our project. Then, without any large complications, the Schleswig-Holsteinische Film Foundation agreed to contribute the other half of the finances needed.  That this was truly courageous, and unusual on the part of the editor was shown in the events after the films completion.  Have a look at the link: www.unser-wasser-hamgurg.de.

A tremendous - Thank you! - to him as well. 
 
 
Do you believe you have achieved something with this film? 
Unfortunately "H2O" was broadcast just one time by North German Television, but 5 times by PHOENIX.

We are particularly proud of the fact that the film "lives" and "works", meaning, several individuals, initiatives, institutions and NGO's have not only acquired the DVD but are continually using the film in meetings where the privatization of the water industry is discussed.  Also many employees of water companies or city utilities see how their fears - the dismantling of their work places, investment decrease, a weakening domestic fabric, lower quality at higher prices, could easily become their reality.  Recently the Party of Social Democrats in their last state convention in Berlin voted for putting the re-purchase possibilities back on the table.  In Swiss Kantons citizens organized protests, blessed with success, quasi due to the film.  In addition, the privatization of water is a great example for other areas such as Health Care, Education, German Rail, Residency etc. moving in the same direction.   

Naturally private businesses are profit oriented, but it should be clear that areas of public necessity belong in the hands of the communities. They form the basis of life for the community and cannot be left in the profit oriented hands of a few individuals.  

The interview was given by O.Frings with the author Leslie Franke and Hermann Lorenz