In eco film festival, big capital presence

NEW DELHI: From films on Corbett and Thar Desert shot from hot air balloons to a comparative study of various BRTs of the world including Delhi, CMS Vatavaran in its fifth year is all set to have an overwhelming Delhi presence in terms of both filmmakers and themes. Twenty seven of the 73 Indian films to be featured in the five-day festival which will start on October 27 at the India Habitat Centre are by directors from the city.
Many filmmakers from other cities too, have focussed on various facets of the capital including a Pune-based couple who have made a film on the rag-pickers of Delhi. The biennial festival is an initiative of the centre for Media Studies and has among its principle partners, the ministry of environment and forests, government of India.
Narender Yadav manager, communications, CMS explained: "We had received 366 entries out of which 106 were nominated to be part of the main festival and to compete for the Rs 20 lakh cash award. The format of the festival is such that one edition is a travelling festival and in the next it is competitive.''
"Amongst Tigers and Elephants'' and "Rolling Dunes of Thar'' the two films on Corbett and Thar have been made by the Delhi-based Bedi brothers. Talking about the hot air balloon idea, director Naresh bedi says: "The real contours of any habitat come out only when you take an aerial view. Be it the fragmented forests of Bandhavgarh or the ravines of Chambal or the grasslands of Corbett. That is why we decided to film on balloons.''
Delhi-based filmmaker Jay Mazoomdaar's "Pushed To Kill'' talks about man-animal conflict. "The film explores the problem in terms of not just the shrinking habitat but also exposes case by case, how the unscientific ad-hoc policy of capturing, confining and releasing animals fuels conflict. While focussing on the leopard-human conflict, the film also draws perspective from similar crises faced by bears crocodiles and tigers,'' Mazoomdaar says.
"Land of vanishing Lakes'' talks about Suranjkund, Badkhal and Damdama in the Aravali and how illegal mining has spelt doom for them. "When we were kids we used to go for picnics to these lakes. It hurt me to see them drying up but when I started researching, I realized the story is much deeper. That is when I decided to make a film to highlight the problem in the right fora,'' says director Ishani Dutta.
For Jasmine and Avinash Roy of Pune, a fictional film commissioned by Unesco their first independent film was what lead to "Scavenging Dreams'' which deals with the dreams and ambitions of Delhi's rag-pickers and waste dealers, many of them, children. Delhi's BRT features in "Just Wheels'' a film by two Mumbai-based filmmakers Faizan Dawed and Ashok Mundkur that visits 12 cities across three continents to explore the concept of sustainable public transport.