'Water & Soil': Corpus Christi filmmaker to release documentary about desal, Hillcrest
A Corpus Christi filmmaker will debut his documentary about how the community of Hillcrest has been impacted by desalination plans, the new Harbor Bridge project and the Port of Corpus Christi at Alamo Drafthouse Thursday, Feb. 8.
The documentary is titled "Water & Soil," as both are considered "precious" resources that make up Corpus Christi. The premiere is invitation only, but encore screenings will be open to the public on Mar. 21 at the Art Museum of South Texas' Third Thursday event.
The premiere comes days after the Corpus Christi City Council voted 6-3 to move forward with a planned desalination facility in Hillcrest.
Carlos Villarreal, the director, interviewed Corpus Christi and San Patricio County residents who are engaged in grassroots efforts to protect the "bay from industrial buildout that has and continues to threaten our most important resources."
In a release, the documentary promises to tell the stories of struggle that will reveal decades of "institutionalized racism that has negatively impacted their families and their communities."
"This documentary is an exploration of the broken promises, backroom deals and indifference and inability of leadership to protect the residents of the Coastal Bend from the extractive industries that promise much but deliver little," Villarreal said in a release. "While researching the history that has led us to this moment, I was shocked to discover the extent to which the local taxpayer is subsidizing these multi-billion dollar corporations through never ending tax abatements and inequitable water rates that leave our most vulnerable communities to foot the bill."
"Water & Soil" is produced by the Coastal Action Network, a coalition of seven grassroots environmental advocacy organizations located in the Coastal Bend.
Jenny Espino is the communication coordinator for Texas Campaign for the Environment − one of the seven organizations that are part of the Coastal Action Network. She said heavy polluting industries have used the Coastal Bend as their playground for profit for decades.
“In doing so, they have by and large controlled the narrative and public opinion, but with the rise of severe health and environmental impacts, the tides are turning," Espino said. "This documentary pushes back on polluters and is taking control of our own narrative and collective vision for a better and more just Corpus Christi."
Villarreal said he was drawn to the story after a decade of multiple water warnings, boils and bans, a decade that saw the destruction of a historically Black neighborhood (Hillcrest), the repeated desecration of Indigenous coastal peoples land, a "corrupted" bridge project and the "false promise" of uninterrupted water from desalination.
"This film is made in dedication to my son and daughter who represent the future of Corpus Christi, as well as the elders of our community who have fought tirelessly against a faceless and unrelenting industry to protect us all from harm," Villarreal said.
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John Oliva covers entertainment and community news in South Texas. Contact him at john.oliva@caller.com or X @johnpoliva.
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This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Corpus Christi director to release documentary about desal, Hillcrest
