The Song of Lake Balkhash

Balqaş Jyry

How do we listen to the water's grief? How do we make its silence seen?

Overview

Balqaş Jyry is a film by the women’s collective Artcom, created as a continuation of the long-term practices of care for the Lake Balkhash as Care for Balkhash initiative. Through the movement of water, the breath of wind, and the rhythm of the steppe, Balkhash tells its story — a story of the profound bond between nature and humans, ruptured by colonialism, industrialization, and ecological violence. Inspired by the poetic tradition of jyr and the steppe philosophy of qazaqliq, the film restores the lake’s agency — its ability to resist, its right to recover, and its future.