Andean glaciers: time and memory

Summary

Friday, 24 October 2025 – the International Day of Action Against Climate Change – was selected for the premiere of ‘Andean Glaciers: Time and Memory’, a documentary that focuses on the dramatic disappearance of Andean glaciers and, crucially, on the profound cultural and emotional impact this has on the region’s inhabitants.

In a timely and urgent effort, Lucie Touzi and Alejandro Russenberger, from the production company Sine Limes, have travelled through five countries in the Tropical Andes (Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia) to document the rapid disappearance of tropical glaciers in striking images. Above all, they sought to listen to the voices of the inhabitants and put into perspective what the glaciers of the Andean mountains mean to everyone, from the inhabitants of the páramo to scientists, and from decision-makers and policy-makers responsible for risk management to artists who draw inspiration from the white peaks.

The production is part of the Memorias Glaciares multimedia project and was supported by the Lima Regional Hub of Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), the CONDESAN-SDC Adaptation at Altitude programme, the Swiss Embassy in Peru, the French Embassy in Ecuador, and the French Alliance in Quito.

The documentary is part of a multimedia project that has already produced several short videos, which have been shared on social media (@memoriasglaciares2025). It is available on the Sine Limes YouTube channel, in Spanish with English subtitles. It was previewed at the Ipromo Latinoamericano 2025 course in October, followed by a film forum where participants had the opportunity to share their experiences of the consequences of glacier retreat in their countries. The project won first place in audience recognition on the day of its screening at the Ascenso Festival in Caracas on 14 October, highlighting the importance of its message.

The human heart of the thaw

The documentary’s approach is deliberately humanistic. While the tropical Andean glaciers are recognised as some of the most affected on the planet by climate change, the documentary does not stop at the practical consequences of the retreat, which are usually emphasised. While presenting important aspects of the problem, such as the contrasting impacts of glacial retreat on water security or the risks of disaster in the Northern and Central Andes, the film highlights the human and cultural aspects and the sense of loss felt by the region’s inhabitants. The aim is to stimulate a broad conversation among the various actors who live in the region—scientists, decision-makers, mountaineers, local communities, park rangers, urban dwellers, artists, poets—around themes of empathy, focusing on how the loss of these great masses of ice also means the disappearance of a unique cultural heritage and an identity linked to the mountains.

The documentary will continue its tour, targeting high-visibility venues. It is scheduled to be screened at the Hay Festival in Arequipa from 6 to 9 November, bringing the voice of the Andes to an academic and literary audience. On 11 December, International Mountain Day 2025, the French Alliances of various cities in the Tropical Andes are preparing a simultaneous screening of the documentary, followed by a film forum that will serve as a call to global action within the framework of the International Year for Glacier Preservation.

This effort, supported by CONDESAN and SDC, underscores the urgent need for action and the incalculable value of Andean ecosystems, not only as climate regulators, but also as the cradle of diverse cultures and perspectives, from urban to rural, from ancestral to modern.