Colorado Environmental Film Festival 2008

A storyteller, played by Academy Award® winner Linda Hunt, speaks to us of a spell that has been cast that has caused everyone to forget about the importance of the ocean. One little girl, however, is determined to find a way to break the spell. She embarks on a journey to the sea with a magical shell that shows her how our health and well-being depend on the marine environment, and explains how the ocean is under threat. Arriving at her destination, the girl helps us realize how we can all break the spell and save the ocean, and ourselves.

WATER FIRST conveys the importance of clean water in meeting all of the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) aimed at reducing poverty in poor nations. How can we help someone with AIDS if they are taking medicine with dirty water? How can we empower women if young girls are forced to drop out of school because they are forced to spend their days hauling water? Through the inspiring story of Charles Banda, the charismatic founder of Freshwater Project in Malawi, it becomes clear that, if we're really serious about helping poor nations, water ought to be first.