Water, in the form of trickling rain, lakes with hidden depth, or changing seas, in all its natural beauty, power and volatility has long inspired works of art. With the advent of the the climate crisis, the conversation has changed to concern about scarcity, preservation and what we can do so the earth does not run dry. Voices from the Waters, an international film festival hosted by Bangalore Film Society has been adding to this conversation through films since 2005. This year it returned after a seven-year gap. “We felt it was time to bring it back, especially since this year Bengaluru has had a harsh year with water troubles and floods. We’re focussing specifically on the future of water, the future of life and water,” says festival curator Jessica Williams.
The festival, which concluded on Saturda y, featured films from 12 different countries. While day one focussed on urban water crises, day two was all about coastal water conservation and three about community resilience and local action. A highlight of the festival was the screening of Turtle Walker, an acclaimed documentary by Taira Malaney which has won several accolades at film festivals across the world. “The film is about a man, Satish Bhaskar, who took an epic journey along the coastline of India and Andaman – walking through all these places discovering nesting places of sea turtles. He’d spend 9 to 10 months by himself, researching and is truly fascinating,” she says.
Alongside the festival was a photography and art exhibit, part of which further explored Bengaluru’s relationship with water. Williams says, “We put up art, stories, and photo essays of different ways people have taken action. So for example, one highlight was work about Puttahalli lake which was in a bad state and was dying but locals from the area came together and successfully revived it. Another was a map of river tributaries like Vrishabhavathi, Arkavathi, and Netravati that pass through the city, juxtaposing what Bengaluru used to be and what it is now.”
The goal, Williams notes, was visitors taking away a call to action with them through engagement with the films and art on show. She says, “We wanted them to leave with the idea that this is our water and we need to protect it and in order to do so, we need to take action. We hope they went back with an impact that will stay for a long time and inspire changes in their own lives.”