For a Change

A film festival focussing on wildlife and environment brings stories from across the world

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Still from Hope: Positive Stories from India

The four-minute bilingual film, Thung-Thung Karmo, unravels the story of the black-necked crane, considered holy by the Monpa people in Arunachal Pradesh’s Zemithang region. But the harbinger of happiness and good health is facing problems of habitat loss. In the 2016 film The Dabba Dol Gang, children from Sehore in Madhya Pradesh have taken it upon themselves to prevent people from defecating in the open. The 2015 English film Hope: Positive Stories from India documents cases of community participation that revived the environment and the climate. Ravaged in the two-decade-long armed conflict between the militants and the government, Assam’s Manas National Park was on the verge of losing all its elephants — Manas: Return of the Giants tells the tale of a paradise that was lost and later regained.

More than 100 films from across the world, themed on environment and wildlife, will be screened during the ninth edition of the CMS Vatavaran International Environment and Wildlife Film Festival and Forum that will take place from November 2 to 6 at Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti.

“When we started in 2002, it was an experiment. Many had advised us against it, saying that people would not be interested in environmental films. But our first attempt got us 100 entries and proved that people are interested in nature and the environment. Previously, there was no platform to get any recognition for your work. Now, we alone have set up many film clubs and festivals across India. We also provide a space for filmmakers to connect with various stakeholders, including scientists, policy makers, programmers and the youth,” said Sabyesachi Bharti, festival manager.

This year, the main theme of the festival is “Conservation 4 Water”, emphasising on issues of climate change related to water, the resulting climate variability, food and health insecurity, biodiversity loss and environmental damage. Apart from film screenings, the festival will also comprise workshops and panel discussions with conservationists, policy makers and journalists, on topics such as people’s participation in policy implementation, role of media in conservation and the ability of a film to bring policy or behavioural change.

The festival schedule is available on http://www.cmsvatavaran.org

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