Two films from India based on ecological crises screened at Canada documentary festival

Environmental imperatives play out in the background of both narratives. However, both films are “about people”, though they reflect the “times we live in”, Koval Bhatia, the films’ producer said

Toronto: Two films from India, both set against the backdrop of ecological crises, were showcased at the 30th anniversary edition of Hot Docs, North America’s largest documentary film festival. Coincidentally, both projects were produced by Goa-based filmmaker Koval Bhatia, a distinction in itself.

A still from the film Against The Tide, which was screened at the 2023 edition of Hot Docs in Toronto, Canada. (Credit: Hot Docs)

The feature, Against the Tide, was directed by Sarvnik Kaur, while Bhatia also directed the short She Run The World.

“This is quite like home,” Bhatia said of bringing the film to Hot Docs in Toronto, as she has the experience of having pitched a project at the Hot Docs Forum and of participating in its film lab. “We see friendly faces, we know a lot of people already,” she said.

She said the Canadian premiere of Against the Tide at Hot Docs received an “incredible response”, while that for She Run The World received “a lovely response”.

“It was a full house, so super excited about that,” she said.

Against The Tide has already received global attention, as its world premiere at the Sundance film festival in the United States, led to it being recognised with a Special Jury prize.

Environmental imperatives play out in the background of both narratives. However, both films are “about people”, though they reflect the “times we live in”, Bhatia said. “A lot of the world we live in is fraught with issues of ecology, issues of climate,” she added.

Against The Tide is about two close friends from the Koli community of fisherfolk in Mumbai. While one uses traditional methods of shallow water fishing, the other leverages technology to trawl the deep sea. “Threatened by climate change and a scarcity of fish due to chronic overfishing, the friends employ different methods of harvesting the sea,” Hot Docs said about the film. “Through carefully composed scenes the richness and fragility of the relationship is captured, mimicking that of the natural world around the two friends,” the festival said.

Meanwhile, the short She Run The World tracks three women who have a common mission, to tackle the complex challenge of waste management. “Business, science and filmmaking all remain predominantly male domains in India, and this film is born out of an attempt to disrupt that. We found these incredible young women who are scientists, leaders and entrepreneurs, and found an instant connection with their stories,” Bhatia noted in her director’s statement about the film.

The 2023 edition of Hot Docs began on April 27 and concludes on Sunday. It features 214 films from 72 countries.