There are as many ways of relating to water as there are inhabitants on Earth, but cinema is a universal language that encompasses them all. This is the beauty and power of communication of the shorts of the We Art Water Film Festival, which has doubled the participation in its fourth edition. The quality of the works shows that it is possible to tell revealing and touching stories about our relationship with water in just three minutes, inviting us to search for solutions to the serious injustices suffered by those who do not have it.

The glaciers on the world’s roof are shrinking and menacing the balance of the rivers that feed nearly a third of the world’s population. The first to be affected are the people who live by the ice. In the long run, we can all be.

The pollution of rivers ends up in the ocean. Plastic, heavy metals and all kinds of chemical products destroy sea life and contribute to the acidification and suffocation of a body of water that is vital for the balance of the planet. On World Oceans Day, more than ever we have to send out a message: salty or sweet, we have only one water to take care of.

Titicaca, the mythical lake of ancient Andean cultures, is declining due to urban and mining pollution. The wastewater treatment plans put in place by the Peruvian government are essential to give a decent life expectancy to more than one million people living on the shores of the lake. The recovery of traditional culture and education is also essential. The lake from which Viracocha emerged to give life to the Andes must be saved.

Water only reaches Los Praditos, a neighbourhood of Santo Domingo, when there is electricity; and this happens only for three hours on Sundays. This is the reality of many inhabitants of the poor neighbourhoods in cities all around the world, who have to fight a daily battle they cannot forget to have access to water and live.

In Wakiso, right in the heart of Uganda, a project of the We Are Water Foundation and World Vision is turning an orphanage into a reference point in the management of water access in one of the countries with the greatest water crisis. At the Global 6K For Water race on the 19th May we will run for its students and for all women and children that need to walk to collect water to survive.

The jury has already published the list of finalists. Vote for your favourite short films and decide the Audience Award of the We Art Water Film Festival 4.

There can be no technological growth without the support of citizens. Intelligent urban water management systems will achieve maximum efficiency if they go hand in hand with architecture, urban planning and governance in a conscious user environment. Cities are destined to be smart, but they will only succeed if their inhabitants are smart. The experts gathered by the We Are Water Foundation corroborate this.