Student filmmakers document Mexico City water crisis
In the summer of 2025, screen studies students Angel Rojas ’25, Aidan Hilaire ’26, Zeke Fairley ’25, and Abby Rhodes ’24 traveled to Mexico City to document the region’s water crisis, supported by a $10,000 Projects for Peace award. Conducted entirely in Spanish to preserve authenticity, their documentary runs alongside a $1.5 million National Science Foundation climate study — with Professor Tim Downs serving as their guide and Screen Studies Professor Soren Sorensen providing storytelling guidance.
The team faced real obstacles: denied filming permits, hours-long drives to locations that turned them away at the gate. They adapted, capturing what they could and building the film around what was true rather than what was planned. “It’s easier to see inherent truth in the documentary format,” says Fairley — a fitting note for a project built on access, trust, and the patience to keep showing up.
