BENGALURU: A Bengaluru-based engineer’s short film on indiscriminate disposal of plastic waste has been creating waves at film festivals, besides winning awards. The film will soon be screened at two international film festivals -- one in Barcelona and the other in Vancouver.
The movie, titled ‘My Responsibility’, is directed by Devegowda, a structural engineer, who runs an architectural firm. The debutant director said he was inspired by rag-pickers, who play a crucial role in collecting plastic bottles, covers and other waste that are discarded by people.
The movie is set in a government school, where competitions and debates are underway for the World Environment Day. “A ragpicking child who collects plastic waste thrown by the school children walks into the school. He draws parallels to what students talk about the environment and what actually happens in reality which is exactly the opposite,” he said.
“If not for ragpickers, our water bodies and soil would have been polluted beyond repair. Though rag-pickers collect waste, tonnes of it is beyond the reach of anyone and it continues to pollute the environment. My movie attempts to create awareness that it is our responsibility to mindfully dispose of plastics,” said the director. He said the movie was shot in a day and it cost him over Rs 1.2 lakh, and he learnt filmmaking from his friend Manohar, who is in the cinema field.
Devegowda was awarded the ‘Best Director’ at the International Film Festival of Telangana and he won an award at the International Film Festival Bay of Bengal, under the ‘Best Concept’ category. He said the movie has been selected for screening at the British Columbia Environmental Film Festival to be held in Vancouver and the International Environmental Film Festival in Barcelona.
As he was looking for a prominent personality to give a message in the movie, he approached Mysuru MP Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar through his friend Karthik Govardhan, a visual journalist. “Wadiyar watched the 6-minute movie, readily agreed and has given a message” he said. Wadiyar, who appears at the end of the movie, urges people to be mindful while disposing of plastic waste.
Devegowda said he is trying to get his movie screened at more film festivals and is also looking for big YouTube channels to release the movie here. He said he will screen the movie at schools adopted by Yaduveer and also at government schools across Karnataka.