Ciril Jazbec
Ciril Jazbec is a Slovenian photographer and film director whose latest project, SILA, is a powerful immersive work exploring the lives of Inuit youth in Greenland as they navigate identity, tradition, and cultural change. Known for his long-term commitment to Arctic storytelling, he blends documentary photography, film, and multimedia installation. A National Geographic Explorer and contributor since 2013, Jazbec’s work has received international acclaim, including the Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize and the Wellcome Photography Prize in 2025, alongside multiple awards for his film Dream to Cure Water.
Ciril Jazbec is a Slovenian photographer and film director whose work centers on communities confronting the impacts of globalization and the climate crisis. For over a decade, he has worked extensively in the Arctic, documenting the resilience of Inuit communities navigating rapid environmental and cultural change. His immersive and long-term approach has resulted in powerful, human-centered stories that blend photography, film, and multimedia.
His latest project, SILA, is a deeply intimate, multimedia and immersive body of work created in collaboration with Inuit youth in Uummannaq, Greenland. Combining a short documentary film (SILA, 24 min) with a photographic series, the project explores identity, tradition, and transformation through the eyes of a new generation coming of age in the Arctic.
Ciril’s film Dream to Cure Water was shot across the Himalayas, Alps, and Andes and has received wide international recognition. It won major awards at Jackson Wild (Climate Stories), Santiago Wild (Best Short Film), INFF (Best Short Film & Best Water Film), and the London Mountain Film Festival. It was also officially selected at Mountainfilm Telluride, the Cleveland International Film Festival, and premiered at AmDocs 2024.
Ciril holds an MA in Photojournalism and Documentary Photography from the London College of Communication. His work has earned numerous prestigious honors, including the World Press Photo Award (2021), Leica Oskar Barnack Newcomer Award (2013), Magnum 30 Under 30 (2015), and the POYI World Understanding Award (2018). In 2025, his work was selected for the Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize and the Wellcome Photography Prize.
Since 2013, he has been a contributing photographer and filmmaker for National Geographic Magazine and is a National Geographic Explorer. His photographs and films have been exhibited internationally at venues such as Les Rencontres d’Arles, Visa pour l’Image, PhEST, and The Lumen Museum.