Tales From the City is a moving documentary film about Johannesburg’s escalating water crisis and the experience of communities navigating the realities of unreliable access to one of life’smost essential resources. While water scarcity has begun affecting residents across the city, including affluent areas, the impact remains far more severe for poorer communities who have long suffered the burden of failing infrastructure, inequality, and inadequate service delivery.

The crisis has exposed the consequences of poor governance, corruption, and years of neglect, but it has also created a powerful sense of solidarity. As residents come together through local meetings, protests, and collective action, the film captures a city united by a shared struggle and a growing demand for accountability – a reminder that access to water is not a privilege, but a fundamental human right.