Delhi bags 8 Awards in CMS VATAVARAN

• Kerala comes second with 7 awards in the Indian category
• In the international category 3 awards bagged by USA, 2 by Germany and one each by New Zealand, Canada, Japan and France
• Awards worth INR 15 lakh given to Indian filmmakers  
• Films made by Delhi based directors swept the Award Ceremony of 6^th CMS VATAVARAN , environment and wildlife film festival. Winning 8 wards in different categories, including Best of the Festival Award Delhi topped the list, with Kerala coming second bagging 7 awards. The awards were presented this evening in a glittering award ceremony at the Convention Centre, NDCC. It was attended by Ms Ambika Soni, Minister of Information and Broadcasting, eminent filmmakers Basu Chatterjee and Prakash Jha, Mr ChandiPrasad Bhatt, environmentalist, Mr Havard Hugas, counsellor, Climate Change and Energy, Royal Norwegian Embassy and several other environmentalists and filmmakers.
  Indian category
  Films from Delhi bagged awards in important categories like Water for all, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Best story, Best Cinematography and Best of the Festival. Filmmakers whose films have won include Vishal Nityanand , Akanksha Joshi, Rishu Nigam, Amar Kanwar, Rintu Thomas and others. Vishal Nityanand’s film ‘Kosi: Injustice with Millions of Villagers and Revolt by Kosi River’, Akanksha Joshi’s film ‘Earth Witness: Reflections on the Times and the Timeless’, Amar Kanwar;s Public Service Announcements have won two awards each.
  
  
  International category
  In the International category 9 awards were presented. Three film from USA have won awards. These are Chasing Water, Dog in the Manger (El Perro Del Hortelano) and SoLa: Louisiana Water Stories. Germany bagged two awards for Poppy's Promise: Secret Life in the Cornfield (Das Kornfeld: Dschungel fur einen Sommer) and Amazon Alive: Hidden Secrets. One award each has been won by New Zealand, Canada, Japan and France.
   
  

Animation for environment

Animation has revolutionised the way films are made. More so, this not so old genre of film-making has created a niche for itself among feature film makers and documentary makers alike, however, animated films on environmental issues are hard to find and are almost negligible if we talk about animated documentaries on “Biodiversity”. To provide a much needed platform to showcase such kind of films, CMS VATAVARAN  would be screening six such films. The event is scheduled from December 6-10, 2011 at the Convention Centre, New Delhi. 

For instance “The Last Tiger” depicts the stark reality of incessant hunting of tigers by human beings and this appetite has been held responsible for the extinction of tigers from their natural habitat. The eye catching visuals of the film touches one’s consciousness so much so that we feel shocked at once after watching the hollow truth of our so called modern society. This selfish society is on a killing spree and anyone who would challenge this selfishness would be killed just as the last tiger has been hunted down by the hunter in this film.

On the other hand, “Bunty’s Tree” is a touching and warm story of the bond that exists between a little boy, and a tree. The symbolization of the tree as the mother of the boy is the masterstroke of the film as the lad’s fondness of the tree tries to convey those emotions that trees are after all the soul of our lives. And just the mere thought of a tree less world makes us tremble from head to toe. Therefore trees are to be loved and planted and not to be cut.

Moreover, the “Light of the River” produced in an era of individualism promotes the real and hearty attachment between the members of a rat family. The rat family on a journey to find a safe haven to live is confronted by self-centered sewer rats in a battle for survival just like good human beings are challenged on every path of their lives by the egoistic, arrogant ones. But as the case is ‘the man of character’ tends to find someone who would help him in his endeavor, hence the rats too found the charming animals that came to their rescue.

Taking forward the theme of bonding and brotherhood is “My Home is Green”, a poignant tale of an ant and a caterpillar. One is moved by the beautiful depiction of the ant as the icon of sorrow, the one who has been left alone by the tragic loss of her family in a pesticide mishap, however, the ant comes back to life as the caterpillar, ‘the ray of hope’ enters her life as her friend and a guide.

The fear of a world without trees is further given impetus by “Roads” a story of a little boy, a small toy truck and a garden known as the ‘Patch of Heaven.’ The boy casually destroys the forests for a moment of fun and just to seek pleasure as we human beings are deforesting the land rather knowingly on the pretext of development.

“Shelter” delivers its message loud and clear, i.e., if the trees are there on earth, the human habitat is there, once the trees are destroyed, the human life is in danger of losing itself. And to protect mankind from extinction, humans have to come to terms with their greed and desire to achieve more and more materialistic comfort. The short film portrays this harsh reality commandingly well as the man who seeks shelter under a tree to save him from a heavy downpour keeps on expanding the trunk of the tree for more space leading to the collapse of the tree.

Saga of rivers

Two films nominated in 6^th CMS VATAVARAN focusses on the status and condition of rivers in the country

“KOSI: Injustice with millions of villagers and revolt by Kosi river “tracks the injustice faced by the fifty five families who reside within the embankment of the river Kosi. The films gives the details of the proposal made in 1953 which stipulate that embankment would be made on both the sides of the Kosi – the Indian and the Nepal region. The embankment has restricted the flow of water to smaller areas as compared to wider area earlier.  The pathetic situation faced by 15 lakh people both from India and Nepal region has been effectively captured by Vishaal Nityanand the director of the film.

Sudheer Gupta the director of “Black River Business” describes the condition of the fast dying river Yamuna and draws a comparison  between the Tyne, Tees and Wear in north-east UK  which have been revived. This film attempts to explore such links, in the context of interconnected global industrial transfer. It discovers thinking voices on both sides of the globe, which need to be brought together to tell a singular story of human destruction and repair of our natural resources.

These films will be screened in the 6^th CMS VATAVARAN, environment and wildlife film festival from Dec 6-10 at the Convention Centre, New Delhi. Entry is free in the film screenings.

Perfect platform to learn!

Newcomers and amateur filmmakers shine at CMS VATAVARAN film festival. Their film will be screened during the upcoming festival from Dec 6-10, 2011

The trend of environment and wildlife filmmaking is fast catching up in the country. Over the years CMS VATAVARAN has become a popular platform for amateur filmmakers, newcomers and even students to showcase their work and interact with the big names in the industry. In the 2011 film festival 10 films have been nominated from the newcomer category and they will be competing among themselves for the awards.  

The ignited minds have covered different aspects, some have dealt with the rare bond between the farmers of Gudavi and the birds, while others explores how innovation and creativity, things of beauty can be created out of scrap and waste. In the newcomer category even students have participated and have outshined with fantabulous story ideas. A film “Madoda Ngala” by Shaz Syed under the category enshrines the importance of modern yet ecofriendly means of conservation practice in a world where poaching and culling are prevalent. This new breed of film makers have depicted prolific and interesting stories on nature, showcasing their depth of knowledge on the environmental issues. The film “Water Please” by Shruti Rai urges all of us to save water as there is enough water for our need but not for our greed. On the other hand the depth of knowledge earned by a student, through her conversations with nature, than what was imparted in the confines of the class room, is the subject of a short film directed by 7 school students.

The newcomer category also received international films. A New Zealand film called “The Unnatural History of the Kakapo” is about a family living with a terrible curse. Adults are plagued by infertility, the young are vulnerable to disease. They are a family of Kakapo. Once thought extinct, they are now the world's rarest and strangest wild parrot. Another film “El Perro Del Hortelano” (Dog in the Manger) directed by Renzo Zanelli Baretto from United States of America traces a unique path discovered by Boro-Huitoto painter to help his community by resisting the encroaching of a petrol company that threatens the future of both their ancestral lands and culture.

These films will be screened during the 6^th CMS VATAVARAN film festival from Dec 6-10, 2011 at New Delhi. For more details log on to www.cmsvatavaran.org   

Last date extended for CMS Young Environment Journalists Awards 2011

Apply Now! Submit your online application by Nov 15. Click here  http://www.cmsvatavaran.org/environmentjour.php

For more details, contact

Narender Yadav
Senior Manager-Communications
09899979160
narender@cmsindia.org