The Hindu : New Delhi News : Delhi to host film fest with a difference

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Nov 05, 2005

New Delhi

New Delhi

Delhi to host film fest with a difference

Lakshmi B. Ghosh

Four-day festival - Vatavaran 2005 -- will have 47 films competing for awards

A scene from the film `Living with Giants', directed by Ashish Chandola.

NEW DELHI: The Capital will get a new green cover this month. Well, almost. Colouring the city green with the best of environment films from across the country this November will be "Vatavaran 2005'', arguably the country's biggest environment and wildlife film festival.

From capturing the beauty of India's forests and wildlife to focusing on issues that threaten India's wildlife, the four-day festival will have over 47 films competing for awards in seven different categories. With the spotlight on the theme of "forests for life" this year, the event will show old problems to new challenges and achievements to failures.

Opening at India Habitat Centre on November 21, the festival this year will see an all-new focus on Asia through films made by Asian directors in the Asian Panorama section. Showcasing the common concerns being raised across the continent, the festival will also see discussions on the subjects of these films.

One of the highlights of the festival will be a retrospective of British filmmaker Doug Allan and Richard Brock. Adding to the excitement will be a special underwater filming workshop to be conducted by Allan who was the principal cameraman for BBC's award-winning series Blue Planet.

Another workshop to be organised during the festival will be on e-journalism, to be done by Jim Detjen, the director of Knight Centre for Environmental Journalism and Dave Poulson of the Michigan State University.

Organised by the Centre for Media Studies (CMS), the event will also see the 13th Congress of the International Federation of Environment Journalists (IFEJ) on "Human -- wildlife conflict and sustainable development".

"Considering the fact that there are so few distribution and exhibition channels available for these films in a commercial set up and the enormous difficulties of getting funding, it is wonderful to see such dedication and commitment. It only goes to bolster my belief that no worthwhile development is possible without paying long term and continuing attention to the well being of all living being and to the environment in which we live," is how Shyam Benegal, the chairperson of the jury, described the Vatavaran effort. But that is not all. While a film bazaar will provide audiences the chance to buy independent productions, a special children's festival will create a corner for the little ones to learn the entertaining way.

There are also two exhibitions this year, including a broadcast technology show with the latest innovations in production technology and another exhibiting the works of some of the best wildlife photographers in the country.

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