Paul Haggis Documentary to Explore Flint Water Crisis

By Sameer Rao Dec 09, 2016

A newly-announced documentary about the ongoing water contamination crisis and political malfeasance impacting Flint, Michigan’s predominantly Black residents will debut in 2017.

"Lead and Copper" is executive produced by Oscar winner Paul Haggis ("Crash") and directed by William Hart, a journalist and first-time director who covered the water crisis for Yahoo News. "Once I learned of the depth of the problem and the extent of the coverup, I was compelled to take a closer look and tell this story in the way it deserved to be told," Hart said in a statement to Deadline yesterday (December 8). Haggis’ production partner Michael Nozik ("Syriana") and publicist Howard Bragman will co-executive produce.

"To me, this is not something that is just a tragic news story—it’s real and it’s affecting my family, my friends, people I love," Bragman, a Flint native, told Deadline. "This is not an isolated story for fiscally challenged Rust Belt cities; it’s the ‘canary in the coalmine’ for other cities."

The Hollywood Reporter reports that the documentary will hit the film festival circuit next year.