On a trip to Munich, seeing the idyllic Isar flow by gently through the town, director G.S. Bhavani was inexplicably reminded of the sewage-filled Vrishabhavathi.
“In Kannada books of the past, I had read about the beauty of the Vrishabhavathi. Seeing the Isar reminded me of this. I then decided to take a camera and shoot a short documentary on what we had and what we’ve lost owing to neglect,” he said.
The warning of what we have lost and what we are losing formed the theme of the Bangalore Film Society’s 11th edition of the International Travelling Film Festival held on Friday at the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board office and Jain University.
Whether it was threats to mangrove forests (Sundarbans: Rising Water, Ebbing Life), killer metals in our waters (Arsenic: The Creeping Killer) or overfishing in Greece (The Guardians of the Agean) or temples and lakes (Our Temple Our Own), each film delivered a strong message against neglect of our waterbodies.
“Our aim is to communicate and hammer home the point against privatising water management through film,” said George Kutty, Festival Director. He added that the films were selected for screening based on message delivered and artistic merit.
