The 12th CMS VATAVARAN Film Festival and Forum was held from October 3-5, 2024, at Ganga Auditorium, Indira Paryavaran Bhawan, New Delhi. Organized by the Centre for Media Studies (CMS) in partnership with the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), GIZ, WWF India, National Museum of Natural History (NMNH), All India Radio (AIR), and the IUCN Commission on Education and Communication (CEC), the festival focused on the theme “Wetlands for LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment).”

This year’s theme aimed to promote environmentally conscious lifestyles supporting wetland conservation, aligning with the Indo-German Technical Cooperation project, “Wetlands Management for Biodiversity and Climate Protection,” led by MoEF&CC and GIZ.

Out of 800+ submissions from 68 countries, 66 films (37 National & 29 International) were nominated after a rigorous three-tier jury process. A distinguished jury, including experts from IUCN India, World Bank India, AFD, and the Royal Bhutanese Embassy, selected 14 award-winning films in National and International categories. The awards were presented at the Gala Ceremony on October 5, 2024.
All nominated films were screened during the festival and at the preceding Green Fete held across 8 colleges and schools in the NCR region in September. The festival’s programs covered critical topics such as wetland conservation, climate change, wildlife protection, and sustainable development, fostering meaningful discussions and actions for a better environment.