'Thirst for Justice': Documentary follows Navajo mother and contaminated water in her son's school

PHOENIX - A new award-winning documentary film starring Navajo water activist Jeanne Yazzie premiered this past week.

"Thirst for Justice" starts in Sanders, Arizona, and follows Yazzie as she searches for the source of contamination in her son's school's water.

The documentary was directed by BBC investigative journalist Leana Hosea, who spoke to FOX 10 from London.

"When I went to the Navajo Nation on a BBC News assignment looking at the proposed sites of uranium mining in the Grand Canyon area, I was so shocked by what I saw, especially because America is a rich democracy, and [there's] whole communities living in pods of uranium-active mine waste drinking contaminated water ," Hosea said.

Hosea says in 2016, she embarked on a fellowship and embarked on a journey - a "thirst for justice."

"I met Jeanne and she was so eloquent, had a strong story herself," said Hosea. "She went to Sanders School in Arizona, where they found the water is contaminated with uranium."

Armed with a Geiger counter, Yazzie begins investigating radioactive waste on the Navajo Nation. Her work with a Navajo scientist leads her to believe the source of the Sanders water pollution is the Churchrock dam spill of 1979.

In the documentary, Hosea follows the activist to Flint, Michigan, where she sees firsthand the similarities between what's happening in the inner city and the Navajo experience.

"What really struck home for her, I think, is going along to the meetings, lobbying, the politicans, facing the same brushoffs...and lies," said Hosea. "She realized they are all working from the same playbook."

The film, according to its director, is not about indigenous Americans, Hosea says. This is a film about water contamination and corporate crime in America, but with an indigenous female lead.

For the latest local news, download the FOX 10 News app.