At this point in the 21st century, it seems almost decadent for artists not to engage in activism and philanthropy—even if, in America at least, institutional support for the arts isn't exactly robust and most artists have to hustle like crazy just to make ends meet. Hence the proliferation of online fundraising platforms and benefit shows IRL. One recent example of bootstraps activism is Vital Líquido, a film that's being produced and directed by former Seattle techno DJ/promoter Zach Zimmerman (of Weird Room fame) and Michelle Morandotti, an Italian native. They're in the process of raising $6,000 to help them complete their work. The documentary investigates the relationship of water to various Mayan communities in Guatemala, dealing with issues like access, potability, and contamination, which are now all global concerns. What we in America take for granted—clean(ish) water on demand at the turn of a faucet—Guatemalan villagers have to exert extreme effort and time to enjoy. They must travel great distances and pay high sums of money in cargo to get their daily water.

After Morandotti and Zimmerman met on Tinder while they both happened to be in "redneck Florida" for a mere 24 hours, they found they had a mutual desire to help the people of rural Guatemala, where Zimmerman had lived for 12 years. While this is Zimmerman's first foray into filmmaking, Morandotti has experience as a video producer for advertising and corporate endeavors and has collaborated in a collective web documentary. "That experience made me realize how meaningful it is to [give] someone the opportunity to speak about their life," she says in an e-mail interview. "I use visuals as a way to communicate, but Vital Líquido is my first film experience."

Zimmerman spent most of his time in Guatemala focusing on the plight of Mayan peasants. "I did a lot of soul-searching last year," he says, "and I realized my definitive personal quality is that I have one foot in the ancient Mayan world and one foot in the post-modern, techno-art world. Now I have a unique opportunity to interlace these two worlds."

Both Morandotti and Zimmerman believe that "film is the most immediate and immersive medium to tell people's stories and [portray] the emotional landscape in which they live. We don't think we would be able to articulate these vast differences in lifestyles and relationships in nature without film as a tool."

So, what is the best-case scenario for this project? "We both hope to create something straightforward and innovative that actually helps communities in Guatemala access water in a sustainable way," the pair answer collectively. "We have met so many amazing people in the filming of Vital Líquido. We probably won't feel done with this film until we do something concrete for even just one family or a small community in Guatemala."

You can follow the progress of Vital Líquido here and contribute to its GoFundMe campaign here.

To help Morandotti and Zimmerman raise funds for the movie, Kremwerk is hosting a benefit show February 23, featuring a very strong lineup of local electronic musicians and DJs: Jake Muir, Qris & Qoqo, Succubass, Eugene Fauntleroy, and Nick Carroll.