In 1992, when the debate on climate change was still in its infancy and the problem was much more underestimated than it is today, 12-year-old Severn Cullis-Suzuki stunned the world with her speech at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro.
Now, London-based Italian director Simone Giampaolo has turned those words into an animated short film that has made it onto the shortlist of animated shorts nominated for an Oscar.
“Only a Child” bears the signature of Simone Giampaolo, but was made with the help of 20 animation directors, so the end result is a mix of different techniques and styles. But it is always the vibrant words spoken by Severn Cullis-Suzuki that dominate.