HYDERABAD: In the quiet hour when mist bleeds into hills and riverbanks stir with wings, a camera waited. Months of such mornings — across forgotten forests, wetlands and river systems — have now translated into award-winning recognition for Hyderabad-based wildlife photographer and visual storyteller Faizan Hussain.
Faizan won second prize in the Tourism Department’s ‘100 Weekend Wonders of Telangana’ contest for his short film Greens & Blues of Telangana. Created specifically for the competition, the film distils four to five months of patient fieldwork into a single visual reel that maps the state’s ecological diversity — from migratory birds and forest corridors to rivers, wetlands and human interaction with nature.
“I documented everything — the rich biodiversity of the state, wildlife species, migratory birds, rivers, forests and even human impact,” Faizan tells TNIE.
Launched in December and open for a month until early January, the contest invited participants to showcase offbeat weekend destinations across Telangana. Drawing from footage gathered over several months, Faizan shaped his entry to focus on landscapes defined by forests, hills, reservoirs and flowing water bodies. Shot using cinematic equipment, including drone footage, the film offers aerial perspectives of terrain that is rarely documented.
Early morning and late evening shoots were key to capturing changing light, mist and movement across landscapes. “Everything was shot cinematically. The idea was to show these places as they naturally exist, without disturbance,” he explains. Rather than spotlighting well-known tourist destinations, the film turns attention to quieter, often overlooked regions that play a crucial role in sustaining biodiversity.
Several sequences follow the Krishna river as it winds through forested and hilly terrain near the Nallamala region. The river, which divides Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, cuts through dense forest landscapes near the Srisailam stretch, visually underlining ecological continuity across administrative boundaries.
“There is this entire stretch where the river flows through forests and hills. It covers the Nallamala landscape and connects habitats on both sides,” Faizan says. “These are not places people usually associate with tourism, but they are visually and ecologically significant.”
Among the many locations documented, one landscape surprised even the filmmaker. Near Deshmuki village, around 20 kilometres from LB Nagar on the Vijayawada highway, a range of hills appears distinctly blue in the early morning.
“Because of the fog and the angle of sunrise, the hills take on a blue tone. Even people living in nearby villages are often unaware of this view,” he says.
Faizan believes such hidden landscapes helped his entry stand out. His long association with birdwatching played a crucial role in shaping the film. Years spent observing bird behaviour and migration patterns helped him anticipate movement and capture rare moments - birds feeding, interacting, taking off from water bodies or engaging in territorial behaviour.
“Birding teaches you patience and understanding. It helps you capture action naturally, without interference,” he says.
The contest saw participation from both individual creators and organisations. The awards were presented during the International Kite Festival at Parade Grounds in Hyderabad.