Set in a dystopian Lahore in the year 2030, ‘The Round Lake’ is a powerful new short film that depicts a community, living near the river Ravi, yet struggling with a shortage of water.

The film represents the possible dire consequences of the blatant negligence of Pakistan’s authorities towards climate change.

The water crisis looms large in the country, and according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Pakistan may face absolute water scarcity by 2040.

Written and produced by Hira Sheraz, the film opens with a shot of the ever-shrinking Ravi and a child is shown trying to fill up a bottle of water with its wastewater.

The Round Lake depicts two sisters played by Eman Suleman and Sayeda Pakeeza, who are always on the lookout for water. The story shows a day in their lives, as they spend every passing second waiting for a water tanker that would come to their neighbourhood at midnight, and they would be able to quench their thirst.

It’s heart-breaking to watch them lose all hope when the tanker doesn’t arrive at 12am; and when it finally does come in the early hours of the morning, there’s no water left for them as other people have had their fills.

The sombre on-screen look and the brownish colour grading of the film itself complement the theme of water scarcity and dryness. The stellar acting, accompanied by the haunting music truly drives home the characters’ despair and forces the viewer to imagine a reality where water may not exist.

Some of the shots are haunting and stay with you. The quiet desperation in Suleman’s eyes and her sister’s character drinking water from her pet fish’s bowl were particularly disturbing.

The film also explores class discrimination in water politics, by portraying how the poor are dying from thirst while the ones who can afford to buy expensive water are filling up their pools with it.

The Round Lake is part of the Novo Amor 565 Fund, which aims to create stories that show a meaningful interaction between humanity and the environment.