Shortlist

‘The lake was our mother and father, our home. Now, we are orphans,’ said Rufino Choque, whose words echo through the desolate, windswept salt flat that had once been the thriving shore of Lake Poopó, Bolivia. Rufino’s indigenous Uru community had lived in harmony with the waters of this ancient lake for generations, nurturing a profound bond that sustained their lives and preserved their unique cultural identity. Today, however, their way of life is marked by profound transformation, as climate change-induced droughts and industrial contamination caused Lake Poopó to disappear entirely by 2016. Prior to this, the Urus lived in floating houses and spent weeks on their boats in the lake; hunting and fishing was their main source of subsistence. By narrating the Uru community’s loss of their cherished home, my goal is to provoke reflection and raise awareness about the urgent need to address the consequences of climate change and contamination.

Gastón Zilberman is a 23-year-old photographer and filmmaker based in Buenos Aires, Argentina, passionate about climate storytelling. He works with social and environmental issues, specially with indigenous communities in Latin America struggling with the consequences of the climate crisis. He teaches photography in Escuela Motivarte and also studies Design in Torcuato Di Tella University. He works documenting humanitarian interventions worldwide with CADENA NGO and he has been featured in National Geographic. Passionate about using images and video to capture important social and environmental issues, his work often focuses on humanitarian interventions, and had the privilege of documenting many of these interventions both in Argentina and abroad. He is also a collaborator with Youth for Climate Argentina, with the goal of raising awareness about the urgent need for action on climate change. “Qotzuñi: People of the Lake” is his first short film as director and cinematographer.