World Elephant Day 2020 Online Film Festival

Bastion of the Giants: English | 2015 | 01:20:51 min

Director: Sumesh Lekhi

Bastion of the Giants is a film that looks at the picturesque, unique and bio-diverse wetland wildlife habitats of North Eastern India fed by the mighty river Brahmaputra and its tributaries and supporting a tremendous wealth of flora and fauna, among them the Asian Elephant; a flagship species that needs large areas to roam in, thus ensuring protection of large forest areas, but also leading to man-animal conflicts as a large portion of the world’s exploding human population lives around these ancient elephant forests, rapidly converting these forests into human use.

Sumesh Lekhi is a Writer, Director, Producer and Chartered Accountant with a drive to protect and enhance Environmental laws. He has been involved since 2010 towards conservation of the wetlands and mangroves in the Oshiwara Lokhandwala Belt in Mumbai, India and opening up of Protected Forests for development enhanced protection of wildlife species.

Manas- Return of the Giants: English | 2016 | 00:54:38 min

Director: Praveen Singh

Manas National Park, a World Heritage Site was destroyed by a two-decade war between the militants and government, resulting in an almost complete loss of wildlife especially the elephants. With the help of scientists, armed rangers and technology, animals are gradually increasing in number. With the complete return of all of its endangered giant animals, Manas will once again return to its former glory. The film tells the story of a paradise lost and regained.

Praveen Singh is a Wildlife Filmmaker and Cameraman. A graduate of the MFA in Science and Natural History Filmmaking program from Montana State University, his first independent documentary, ‘Indian Leopards – The Killing Fields’ was awarded the first prize in documentary category at the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Foundation College TV Awards, USA. The film was also awarded the Best Film of the Festival Award at VATAVARA N, 2005. Since then he has won the UK Environment Film Fellowships twice and awards at VATAVARA N in 2009 and 2011; His films have aired on Discovery Channel, NGCI, NHK, Japan; NDR, Germany, etc.

On the Right Track: English | 2008 | 00:16:38 min

Director: Rita Banerji

Eighteen Asian elephant were killed in accidents with trains on a railway line the crosses the Rajaji National Park in the northern Indian Uttarakhand state between 1987 and 2001. This line connects the holy city of Haridwar with the capital of this state, Dehradun, and is one of the busiest.

This film documents a Rapid Action Project undertaken by the Wildlife Trust of India which studied the problem and suggested solutions that ultimate led to steps that ensured no elephant deaths on this 14 km track since 2001. This project brought the Indian Railways and the Uttarakhand Forest Department closer and they have since worked in tandem to make the Rajaji effort a model for other areas to emulate...

Rita Banerji heads Dusty Foot Productions, incidentally it is her dusty feet that inspired the name of our company ‘dusty foot’! A wildlife – environment filmmaker and cameraperson, with over 15 years of experience Rita has produced, directed and filmed many award-winning documentaries and television programs.

Rita has been a core team member of several award-winning films. Amongst these have been ‘The Last Migration’ the first film from Asia to win the ‘Green Oscar’ at Wildscreen Festival, 1994, and Shores of Silence – Whale Sharks in India, which not only won the ‘Green Oscar’ in Wildscreen 2000, but also went on to put the whale shark in the Wildlife Protection Act of India. From Sept. 1999 to April 2001 she was the producer for ‘Earth Matters’ an award-winning environment series that was telecast on Doordarshan, India’s national television network.

Elephant – God or Destroyer: English | 2005 | 23 min

Director: Krishnendu Bose

With 25,000 Asian Elephants in India we have the largest population of this giant in any one country. But with 1 billion people, we also have the most severe problem with coexisting with this giant. More than 300 people are killed every year by elephants and a third of elephants die every year killed by humans. Crops and livelihoods worth lakhs of Rupees are destroyed by elephant herd which stray into villages and cropland.

The problem is as mammoth as the animals and solutions are not very intelligently worked out by the government. This film looks at this conflict from the point of view of Kallan, a paddy farmer living adjoining an elephant park in Waynad.

Krishnendu Bose, after acquiring a Masters degree in Economics from Delhi School of Economics in 1985, he set up Earthcare Films, making films on wildlife conservation and environmental justice. Since then has produced several international award-winning documentaries. His film, Tiger the Death Chronicles won the conservation award in International Wildlife Festival in Montana USA. The Latent City, film on Public Art and the City, has been showcased in the Indian Panorama in 2009 and won the Grand Prix at Document.Art film Festival in Romania.

Where the Elephant Sleeps: Hindi, English, Sanskrit, German | 2016 | 99:30 min

Director: Brigitte Uttar Kornetzky

This documentary unravels the hidden scandal behind the fate of India`s revered elephants. The film is based on the captive elephants used in tourism in Rajasthan, specifically in Amer Fort, Jaipur. The harsh conditions cause all manner of physical and mental harm to these elephants. The plot revolves around an intriguing conflict that emerges in this brutal landscape for the elephants. A story that forces dozens of government officials to congregate around a suffering elephant and finally towards a ground-breaking conclusion.

Brigitte Uttar Kornetzky is a Writer, Artist and Filmmaker and Published Author from Germany. She an extensive background in the visual arts and music. She studies visual arts, history of art, philosophy, and law at the University of Kassel and has a master’s degree in visual arts. She trained in classical singing at the Kassel Music School and the Metropolitan Opera in New York. In 2014 and 2016, she set up two charities for Captive Elephants in India, Elefanten in Not, in Germany and Switzerland. She is the Honourable Ambassador for Captive Elephants, FIAPO, India.

Heroes of the Wild Frontiers: Elephant 911: English | 2018 | 23:40 min

Director: Krishnendu Bose

Elephant human conflict has been going on in India for decades. Only now has it increased because of the shrinking forests and the expanding human habitation. North Bengal, with its fragmented habitat of tea gardens, human habitation, and paddy fields, is a hotbed of conflict. It kills over 100 people in West Bengal and a third probably in these parts. The motley group of 5-6 people manage herds of over 30-40 elephants every night playing with their lives each night. The film also attempts to redefine human animal “conflict” and “coexistence”.

Krishnendu Bose, after acquiring a Masters degree in Economics from Delhi School of Economics in 1985, he set up Earthcare Films, making films on wildlife conservation and environmental justice. Since then has produced several international award-winning documentaries. His film, Tiger the Death Chronicles won the conservation award in International Wildlife Festival in Montana USA. The Latent City, film on Public Art and the City, has been showcased in the Indian Panorama in 2009 and won the Grand Prix at Document.Art film Festival in Romania.

Elephant Kitchen: English | 2018 | 21:20 min

Director: Brigitte Uttar Kornetzky

Elephants` lifes don`t count much although they are worshipped like gods. Being fed in an elephant camp some can touch each other for the first time in their lives. Conservationist Nigel Otter from World Wide Medical Care IPAN reports about the miseries of temple elephants in Kerala.

Brigitte Uttar Kornetzky is a Writer, Artist and Filmmaker and Published Author from Germany. She an extensive background in the visual arts and music. She studies visual arts, history of art, philosophy, and law at the University of Kassel and has a master’s degree in visual arts. She trained in classical singing at the Kassel Music School and the Metropolitan Opera in New York. In 2014 and 2016, she set up two charities for Captive Elephants in India, Elefanten in Not, in Germany and Switzerland. She is the Honourable Ambassador for Captive Elephants, FIAPO, India.

Elephants and Us_Assam: English | 2018 | 18:51 min

Director: Green Hub Fellow Ankur Das

Elephants` lifes don`t count much although they are worshipped like gods. Being fed in an elephant camp some can touch each other for the first time in their lives. Conservationist Nigel Otter from World Wide Medical Care IPAN reports about the miseries of temple elephants in Kerala.

Green Hub, a collaborative initiative of North East Network (NEN), Guwahati and Dusty Foot Production (DFP), New Delhi, is the first youth and community based video documentation centre for recording the environment, wildlife and people’s biodiversity in the North East region (NER) of India. Green Hub aims to train the local youth in video and photography documentation in the area of environment and wildlife in the region. The vision of Green Hub is to create an alternative livelihood and interest for the youth of the area by linking them to projects related to environment after their training, as well as to create a resource hub and an archive of the biodiversity in the northeast.

Days with the Wild Herd: English | 2018 | 06:37 min

Director: Green Hub Fellows

Green Hub, a collaborative initiative of North East Network (NEN), Guwahati and Dusty Foot Production (DFP), New Delhi, is the first youth and community based video documentation centre for recording the environment, wildlife and people’s biodiversity in the North East region (NER) of India. Green Hub aims to train the local youth in video and photography documentation in the area of environment and wildlife in the region. The vision of Green Hub is to create an alternative livelihood and interest for the youth of the area by linking them to projects related to environment after their training, as well as to create a resource hub and an archive of the biodiversity in the northeast.