ADFF Toronto 2026: Young Climate Stories

“Young Climate Stories” is a documentary series spotlighting young changemakers leading scalable and innovative climate solutions in their communities. Highlighting unique voices and specific locations showcases how participants of The World Around Young Climate Prize cycle 02 contribute towards building a livable, equitable, and sustainable future.

This event includes the screening of two short films: A Garden in the Desert (15 mins) and How to Plant a Lake (15 mins). 

How To Plant A Lake (2026)

Dayana Blanco Quiroga, age 25, has witnessed Bolivia’s Uru Uru Lake become dangerously choked with mining runoff and industrial waste, severely impacting the future of seven Indigenous communities and the 76 bird species that call its wetland shores home. But she is determined to clean its polluted waters. Alongside her mentor, Argentine curator Sebastián Acampante, and her Uru Uru Team, the Aymara climate leader is fighting back by building floating rafts of totora reeds—a native plant her ancestors knew as a natural purifier—to draw the toxins out of the lake. Combining ancestral knowledge, science and collective action, an all-too-familiar tale of environmental crisis has become an example of resilience, restoration, and proof that anyone with the right tools can help tackle the climate emergency. How To Plant A Lake is a part of the Young Climate Stories series presented by The World Around.

A Garden in the Desert (2026)

A Garden in the Desert is about Mohamed Salem Mohamed Ali, one of the most compelling voices from Cycle 02 of The World Around Young Climate Prize. While living as a refugee in the Sahrawi camp in Algeria, he has built a thriving garden that grows vegetables and herbs, supports animals like ducks and fish, and recycles water through a complex system of pipes and troughs. The project, which earned Ali the Young Climate Visionary award, is the first to feature in a series of Young Climate Stories.

TSA MEMBERS: Members get discounted tickets to all regular showings at ADFF: Toronto! When tickets go on sale, there will be a discount code in the TSA Bulletin and on your Member Dashboard.

About the Architecture and Design Film Festival

The Architecture and Design Film Festival (ADFF)—North America’s largest film festival dedicated to architecture and design—is coming back to Toronto for another year of great films and insightful discussions! From November 4-7, catch one of their amazing lineup of 13 films, from all over the world. Looking for the full list of films showcased at this year’s ADFF: Toronto? See the complete programme on the festival’s website!

The TSA is proud to once again be partnering with ADFF: Toronto to bring a series of panel discussions and post-screening Q&As that complement this year’s film roster. These panels bring together architects, film-makers, and subject matter experts to further explore the themes of each film and bring them back to our local context here in Toronto.