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Paul Simon book inspires making of film

BY CALEB HALE

Sunday, May 1, 2005 6:44 AM CDT

THE SOUTHERN

CARBONDALE - Turning on the faucet may one day mean letting a precious commodity flow from the spigot and down the drain, an action that may worsen a crisis.

Water is a fundamental need many people can't fathom losing, but director and producer Jim Thebaut has created a documentary, which addresses areas of the world where water is in short supply and examines the possibility of a global water crisis.

The film, "Running Dry," is based on the late U.S. Sen. Paul Simon's 1998 book, "Tapped Out: The Coming World Crisis in Water and What We can Do About It." The Paul Simon Public Policy Institute will host both director Thebaut and a screening of the documentary at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Southern Illinois University Carbondale Student Center Ballroom D.

"Running Dry" was a collaborative effort with Simon, Thebaut said. The late senator was supposed to narrate the film but died in December 2003. Actress Jane Seymour takes over the role in the 80-minute documentary.

Speaking from his Los Angeles office, Thebaut said he was a long-time admirer of Simon, and when he read Simon's book he reached out to him to expand on the water issue.

Thebaut interviewed people in Jordan, Israel, South Africa and China about the impending water

crisis. He spoke with dignitaries, such as Israeli leader Shimon Peres and former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, as well.

Thebaut said shortages can happen anyplace in the world.

"It's not isolated; it is a global problem," Thebaut said. "When you talk about a child dying every 15 seconds from water-related issues, that is a crisis."

Public Policy Institute director Mike Lawrence, who helped Simon hold a symposium on the water issue on campus in 1999, said of particular concern is the effect a water shortage would have on world peace.

"Countries fight over oil," Lawrence said. "Water is a need that is even more basic."

Lawrence said Simon was a visionary into the looming water crisis. The late senator predicted in his 1998 book wars would be fought over water.

It's a situation that seems far-fetched to most people in the nation, Lawrence said, but one usually can't trust the American pubic to react to problems in a timely manner.

"We have a tendency in the country not to worry about things until it becomes a crisis," he said. "There was interest in the Congress, but it certainly hasn't advanced."

Lawrence said he hopes the documentary will outline the problems to people and public officials, making them aware of what needs to be done.

In the end, Thebaut said the world water crisis has a solution.

"We're not all going to Hell in a handbasket," Thebaut said. "If we pull it together, we can reach a practical solution."

"Running Dry" has already had an international audience in Beijing, China, in March. Institute officials hope to take the film to a number of areas in the United States in the near future.

Thebaut will be at SIUC Wednesday to talk to students in different classes and introduce his film.

caleb.hale@thesouthern.com

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