The 10th edition of CMS Vatavaran – International Environment & Wildlife Film Festival has Celebrating Himalayas as its main theme. Held biannually since 2002, this is Asia’s biggest green festival with over 60 countries as participants.
From the 1,020 entries received, 77 will be screened at the fest, with award winners picked from here. Other programmes include a ‘Himalayan Summit on Climate Change’ (organised by IHCAP & DST), an interactive session with Grammy winner Rickey Kej, master classes on ‘Green Film Making’ by award winners Anoop Khajuria and Dinesh S Yadav, and a workshop on 4k Filmmaking by Nandan Saxena and Kavita Bahl among others.
There will be special screenings for students and a range of interactive activities like competitions and quiz. WWF India is holding a special training session on Environmental Education for educators and on Green Careers for students. IUCN-CEC & FLEDGE will oraganise an interactive discussion on ‘Role of Education and Communication in Conservation and Development’.
Film selection
This is done in three stages. PN Vasanti, Director, CMS Vatavaran, explains how in the first stage, the internal team went through 1,020 entries and shortlisted 370 films.
“These films went to the second stage where committees of media and subject experts zeroed in on 77 films they found worth screening. Award winners have been selected from among these films in the third stage.”
This year a short film on pollution is being screened along with the main event.
“It has been done at the behest of the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change,” says Vasanti, adding that more than 300 short films on air pollution poured in, which they will screen under categories – kids, amateurs and professionals.
Awards will be given in each category Celebrating HimalayasExtending over 3,500km from Afghanistan in the west to Myanmar in the east and enveloping all or part of eight countries along the stretch, Himalayas are home to over 1,000 ethnic communities that have flourished from the resources flowing from it. But climate change has become its biggest threat.
“It is an important issue that should be brought to public discourse. The impact of climate change on the Himalayas is quite stark but we are not able to understand that, living in the plains,” says Vasanti, explaining the reason for selecting the Himalayas as the festival’s overarching theme.
“Apart from showing films on the main theme, there are activities like seminars and technical sessions held around it so people can gain a better understanding of the pressing issue,” she adds.
As a build-up, the organisers had held 20 mini Himalayan festivals in Delhi. “We went to schools and colleges, showed films to students, held talks and competitions so that they understood the gravity of the situation,” says Vasanti.
Post the festival, the organisers will tie up with media houses to distribute the films to a wider audience.
“We will also upload these on our website so when any of our partner institutions need a film we can give it to them. We will also hold travelling festivals across India,” says Vasanti. The films will be given free of cost to NGOs and ministeries.
Till: December 1
Where: Dr Ambedkar International Centre, Janpath