2011

20min

In 2032 an eight-year-old boy, displaced by global warming, fends for himself as an environmental refugee in a hostile metropolis. Haunted by memories of flooding that left him homeless and orphaned, the boy forms an unexpected bond with a mysterious Inuk ice carver from the Arctic (Natar Ungalaaq), who helps him confront his past. Heart-warming and visually stunning, THAT WHICH ONCE WAS brings a human face to the climate crisis and celebrates how those who’ve experienced trauma can find hope and healing through friendship.

Official Selection at the SXSW Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival

WINNER of Best Short Film at the Barcelona International Environmental Film Festival WINNER of the Audience Award at ITVS-Futurestates Series