Filmmakers and journalists awarded at ‘Asia’s largest’ green film festival

Over 30 films were awarded at the film festival on Saturday, and journalists who report on the environment, including HT’s Ritam Halder.

Environmentalists, filmmakers and journalists were felicitated for highlighting environmental concerns at the CMS VATAVARAN International Film festival (Nov 2-6), touted as Asia’s largest green film festival, on Saturday.

The 9th edition of the CMS VATAVARAN International Film festival is being held at Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti, near Rajghat in Delhi. Over 100 environment focussed films are being screened over 4 days. (Courtesy CMS VATAVARAN)

Over four days 113 films from across the world are being screened. The 9th edition is being held at Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti, near Rajghat in Delhi. Launched in 2002 with the support of the ministry, the festival includes workshops and seminars on issues of environmental importance.

The film awards covered the themes of climate change, water conservation, environment, wildlife, livelihood and sustainable technologies. Filmmakers in the professional, amateur categories and from schools and colleges, both from India and international, were felicitated.

The 2017 National Geographic-CMS Prithvi Bhushan Award was awarded to Chandi Prasad Bhatt, a prominent Gandhian and environmental activist. Noted filmmaker and photographer Rita Banerji was awarded this year’s National Geographic-CMS Prithvi Ratna Award.

Hindustan Times’ Ritam Halder received the Young Environmental Journalism award in the print category for his coverage of Delhi’s air pollution crisis and the damage to the fragile ecosystem of the Yamuna flood plain. sAishwarya S Iyer of the digital platform, The Quint’ won the Young Environmental Journalism award in the online category and Sowmiya Ashok of The Indian Express received the Special Jury Mention Award.

FULL LIST OF FILM AWARDEES:

National

1) Climate Change: Upto 30 minutes

Global Warning - Kashmir Chapter by Jalal Ud Din Baba

2) Climate Change: More than 30 minutes

Living...the Natural Way by Sanjib Parasar

3) Animation

Fishi-RU (The Spirit of Fish) by Anjali Nayar

4)Student-School

The Water Struggle by Samarth Singh, The Shri Ram School

5) Conservation 4 Water, Upto 30 minutes

Saving the Saviour by Jalal Ud Din Baba

6) Conservation 4 Water, More than 30 minutes

The Last Drop - India’s Water Crisis by Abhishek Vijay Mahkija

(For national Geographic)

7) Environment Conservation, Up to 30 minutes

Swayer Corporations by Rathindran R Prasad

8) Environment Conservation, Up to 30 minutes

Malettam (Conquering Heights) by Thomas Devasya

9) Wildlife Conservation, Up to 30 minutes

The Race to Save The Amur Falcon by Shekar Dattatri

10) Wildlife Conservation, More than 30 minutes

Manas- Return of the Giants by Praveen Singh

11) Amateur

The Dabba Dol Gang by Anil Cherukupalli

12) Student: Colleges

Point and Shoot by Harsimran Kaur Anand, Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology

13) Livelihood

India Unseen-Alternative Paths (Mixed Farming) by Video Volunteers India

14) Sustainable Technologies

India Unseen-Alternative Paths (Solar Power in Farming) by Video Volunteers India

15) Special Jury Mention:

Conservation 4 Water, More than 30 minutes

Nagar Aur Pani by Iqbal Hussain and Aajad Singh Khichi

Conservation 4 Water, Up to 30 minutes

Revival of Ahar Pyne Systems (in Palamu district of Jharkhand) by Soumitra Dey

16) Best of festival National

Saving the Saviour by Jalal Ud Din Baba

International:

1) Climate Change: Adaptation & Mitigation, Up to 30 Min

Kokota-The Islet of Hope by Craig Norris

2) Climate Change: Adaptation & Mitigation, More than 30 min

Planet Sand- China, At War Against Deserts by Thierry Berrod

3) Climate Change: Adaptation & Mitigation, More than 30 min

(SPECIAL JURY MENTION)

Mother’s Cry by Lisa Russell

4) Series

The Canary Islands - Part 1+2 by Michael Schlamberger

5) Animation

The Real Cost of Coal by Vibor Juhas

6) Conservation 4 Water, Up to 30 Mins

Guardians by Ernesto Arteaga Cote

7) Conservation 4 Water, More than 30 Mins

RiverBlue by David Mcllvride and Roger Williams

8) Student: Colleges

Sharing The Secrets by Drew Perlmutter

9) Environment Conservation, Upto 30 mins

Fighting Air Pollution by Huang Hong-ru

10) Environment Conservation, More than 30 Mins

Hija de la Laguna (Daughter of the Lake) by Ernesto Cabellos

11) Wildlife Conservation, Up to 30 Mins

Pangolins in Peril-A story of rare scales by Muhammad Ali Ijaz

12) Wildlife Conservation, More than 30 Mins

Making an Ancient Forest by Rita Schlamberger

13) Livelihood

SEED: The Untold Story by Taggart Siegel and Jon Betz

14) BEST OF THE FESTIVAL

SEED: The Untold Story by Taggart Siegel and Jon Betz