The Film

Most of us take for granted that we will have clean water when we need it, but almost a billion people do not have access to clean drinking water. Seth Maxwell was a college student when he learned of this major issue, and he felt compelled to help. The charity he founded is called The Thirst Project, an organization that supplies clean water to people in countries that need it, so they can remain healthy and disease-free.

Seth has been actively addressing the need for clean water for 5+ years. Forbes magazine called Seth a "social entrepreneur," saying, "Seth Maxwell's Thirst Project gets high school and college students on 320 campuses involved." The Thirst Project also prides itself on maintaining the wells and teaching the local people how to fix any issues that may arise in the usage of the well.

My intention is to create a documentary that tells the story of how an Indiana boy grew up to lead such a successful charity, and became recognized as a business leader in Los Angeles. This story about Seth will document the history of The Thirst Project, from how Seth mobilized youth to raise funds, to how he works with communities around the world to bring clean water.

This documentary will be a positive look at what is being done to help people have clean water, and will show footage of people receiving water for the first time. My hope is that this documentary will inspire viewers, as I have been inspired, by introducing them to Seth. As a result, I hope to increase awareness about the need for clean water for people everywhere around the globe.

The documentary will take viewers with Seth into the schools to show how he rallies young people around this issue. Accordingly, this film will accompany Seth to the annual Thirst Project gala at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, where Hollywood stars and other supporters meet to celebrate what has been accomplished and to continue the fight for clean water.

Ultimately, our project will capture the instillation of a freshwater well in Swaziland, documenting the happiness of the natives and their reaction to receiving the life changing gift of clean water. To do this, in July of 2014, another crew member and I plan on accompanying Seth on his journey and mission. 

The Director

I am a 20-year-old filmmaker with two award-winning documentaries on my resume. As a high school senior, my documentary "Peace for Paws," about the needs of homeless animals, was a top 10 winner in the high school division of the Heartland Film Festival and was named Best Picture in the Envision Film Festival. At 19, my documentary short "It Takes a Garden," was an official selection at the 2013 Heartland Film Festival. "His film really hit on something local that was done in a really good way that explains what was going on. It is a really well-rounded documentary that was very well-shot and told a good story," according to artistic director Tim Irwin. I also worked on a music video parody that attracted over 450,000 views on Youtube.

I'm very excited to work on this latest documentary about The Thirst Project, and to partner with so many of my friends and family, let alone the friends that I am yet to meet. 

Thank you for taking the time to read this and for your consideration in donating to this project.