‘The Struggle for Mother Water’ Director Michael Zelniker Sets Sights on Policymakers After Berlinale Series Screening
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Canadian filmmaker Michael Zelniker didn’t come up through the traditional documentary ranks. A former actor who appeared in films such as Clint Eastwood’s “Bird” and David Cronenberg’s “Naked Lunch,” Zelniker built his career in fiction before pivoting toward environmental storytelling. “I’m not from the documentary film world. I had a lovely career as an actor… […]
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Mar 19, 2026 12:13pm PT ‘The Struggle for Mother Water’ Director Michael Zelniker Sets Sights on Policymakers After Berlinale Series Screening By Elsa Keslassy Plus Icon Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent @elsakeslassy Latest Leyla Bouzid’s ‘In a Whisper’ Wins Best Emerging Filmmaker at Rendez-Vous With French Cinema Showcase in New York 4 hours ago Yariv Mozer Doc ‘Blood Brothers,’ About Rival Iranian and Israeli Olympians, in the Works at Sipur Studios, Fox Entertainment Studios and Fulwell 6 hours ago Piers Morgan Walks Out of Explosive Interview With HSTikkyTokky, Influencer Featured in Louis Theroux’s ‘Inside the Manosphere’: ‘I Think You’re a F—ing Idiot’ 8 hours ago See All Canadian filmmaker Michael Zelniker didn’t come up through the traditional documentary ranks. A former actor who appeared in films such as Clint Eastwood’s “Bird” and David Cronenberg’s “Naked Lunch,” Zelniker built his career in fiction before pivoting toward environmental storytelling. “I’m not from the documentary film world. I had a lovely career as an actor… then I spent some years teaching. But about a month into the pandemic, I learned that the boreal forest was being cut down for toilet paper. And I thought, ‘Oh my God,'” Zelniker says. That discovery led him to make his first documentary, “The Issue With Tissue — a Boreal Love Story,” a personal exploration of Canada’s endangered forest ecosystems and the Indigenous communities who live there. Popular on Variety For his latest project, the eight-part docu series “The Struggle for Mother Water,” he embarked on an even bigger and bolder adventure. Shot over 219 days across 21 countries, the series examines the escalating water crisis through the voices of those living on its frontlines. The lushly-lensed project was acquired for world rights by Montreal-based Filmoption and two episodes were screened at the Berlinale Series Market Selects. Zelniker is now eyeing a festival to host the world premiere, and is also aiming to spu...
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