7th CMS VATAVARAN Environment and Wildlife Film Festival and Forum 2014

Char... The No-Man's Island (Winner)
Director: Sourav Sarangi
"The movie powerfully captures the plight of people who have become 'environmental refugees' in "No Man's Land". The movie highlights the role of man-made structure resulting in continuous calamity of river island setting and captures the daily struggle of people for survival in a poignant way who are conveniently forgotten by everyone else"

Winner

A Story? (Winner)
Director: Laxmikanta Jena
"The Jury was impressed by the innocent but powerful messages about human greed and global warming in a manner that shows fullness of the life cycle"

A Story of an Unknown Island
00:10:28 | Bengali with English Subtitles | Anima Patra | for World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF - India)

Drop by Drop
00:05:00 | English | Ahona Datta Gupta | for GIZ (German Development Cooperation)

Mahua - The Tree of Life
00:10:19 | Hindi with English Subtitles | Shyam Lal, Santosh, Manisha, Lalita, Laxmi, Sundeep, Ajay and Roshni Ramij | for World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF - India)

My Green Planet
00:01:23 | English | Misha Dutta

What If...
00:02:06 | English | Chinh Children | for Chinh Early Education Web Channel

Winner

Jal Khet (Water Fields) (Winner)
Director: Anjali Nayar
for Tata Watu Policy Program (IWMI)
"The Jury liked the way movie captures the power of people's participation in converting barren lands into green farms by employing simple low-cost on-farm rainwater harvesting ponds. The movie reaffirms that a Nobel effort by one individual can become a movement of many"

Huli: Technology to the Frontiers of Tiger Conservation
00:09:20 | English with English Subtitles | Amoghavarsha J S | for Karnataka Forest Department

Pristine Water
00:16:02 | English with English Subtitles | Niyati Sengar and Amaresh Kumar Singh | for Amity School of Communication

The Tiger, They're All Dead
00:14:46 | English, Hindi and Marathi with English Subtitles | Reema Sengupta

Vithappadu (Sowing Field)
00:21:48 | Malayalam with English Subtitles | Aneez K M

Winner

The Flight (Winner)
Director: Saransh Sugandh
for The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)
"The film presents an alarming picture of a bleak landscape, created by environmental degradation and garbage especially e-waste. The Jury applauded the innovative idea of using an abandoned book to take child on a flight through green fields and the seamless movement from wasteland to greenery on the wings of knowledge"

Expunge
00:01:17 | Non-verbal | Jasbinder Singh | for Creative Expression

Save Tree
00:04:27 | English | Ashwin N, Pooja T and Sneha S | for School of Media and Cultural Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS)

Winner

Sthalam (The Place)
Director: Shivaprasad
"The film effectively portrays the importance of the Mangroves in the life of coastal community and the threats to their survival in the face of thoughtless development. The Jury also appreciated the naturalistic performances!"

Ajoba (Grand Father)
01:50:39 | English and Marathi | Sujay Duhake

DAM 999
01:50:00 | English | Sohan Roy

Winner

Winner

Greeny the Great (Winner)
Director: Dhananjay Bhopale
for Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC)
"The Jury appreciated the crisp but important messages centering on everyday issues of civic sense"

Saving the Ganga (Winner)
Director: Bahar Dutt
for History TV 18, CNN - IBN (Network 18)
"A beautiful depiction of how Ganga, the holy river touches the lives of millions and how its potential is being harnessed. It shows the pursuit of rampant construction of power projects and how they threaten the very existence of the river"

Abhay Deol Talks about the True Cost of Coal
00:02:54 | English and Hindi | Areeb Hashmi | for Greenpeace India

Annesan (The Search)
01:52:30 | Assamese with English Subtitles | Prasanta Kumar Bordoloi | for Prasar Bharati, Doordarshan Kendra, Guwahati

Winner

Winner

Chronicles of Oblivion (Winner)
Director: Priyanjan Dutta
for Dakshin Foundation "The movie is successful in capturing the resilience of women fishers in coping with their circumstances and struggles for survival"

Shifting Undercurrents - Women Seaweed Collectors of Gulf of Mannar (Winner)
Director: Rita Banerji
for International Collective in Support of Fishworkers (ICSF)
"The Jury appreciated the effort of bringing together the legal, environmental, social and economical tangle through a gender prism"

Behind the Mist
00:29:02 | Malayalam and Tamil with English Subtitles | Babu Kambrath

In God's Land
01:10:12 | Tamil with English Subtitles | Pankaj Rishi Kumar | for Public Service Broadcasting Trust (PSBT), Films Division, Government of India

Pratirodh (Resistance)
00:58:58 | Hindi with English Subtitles | Bijo Toppo

The Diary of a Refugee
00:52:00 | Bengali with English Subtitles | Bishnu Dev Halder | for Public Service Broadcasting Trust (PSBT) and Films Division

Winner

Foresting Life (Winner)
Director: Aarti Shrivastava
for Humanity Watchdog Foundation
"A moving tale of a man's love for nature and thirty five years of effort that culminated in creating a 'real' forest teeming with wildlife. The Jury applauded the efforts of making a movie on unsung heroes as who show that grit, determination and passion can provide answers to today's critical issue of 'loss of biodiversity"

Char... The No-Man's Island
01:27:57 | Bangali with English Subtitles | Sourav Sarangi

Green Ganesh Festival
00:25:49 | English, Konkani and Marathi with English Subtitles | Raviraj Chandrakant Naik

Mere Bacchon ko Kisne Maara? (Who Killed my Children?)
00:10:52 | Hindi with English Subtitles | Anil Yadav

Nenmanikyam (Golden Grain)
00:28:16 | Malayalam with English Subtitles | M Venukumar

Winner

Dammed (Winner)
Director: Kavita Bahl and Nandan Saxena
"The movie brings out a novel may of non-violent protest through 'jal satyagrah' by people who find no say in shaping their own destiny. The Jury hail this effort"

A Silent Noise
00:01:00 | English | Snehasis Das

When Every Drop Counts
00:14:44 | English and Hindi with English Subtitles | Rishu Nigam | for Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation (MoDWS), Government of India

Winner

Winner

Ladakh's Artificial Glaciers (Winner)
Director: Rajendra Srivathsa Kondapalli
"With the increasing temperatures slowing down glacier formation in the Himalayas, the Jury appreciated how local solutions were found by one man who has taken it upon himself to find a low-cost down-to-earth solution, such as the creation of artificial glaciers to ensure water supply to the villages of Ladakh"

Timbaktu (Winner)
Director: Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh
for Public Service Broadcasting Trust (PSBT) and Films Division, Government of India
"The damage caused to the soil by the over use of pesticides is well-brought out and the Jury appreciated the effort of one person to find a local solution by growing organic food"

Jury Special Mention

Jury Special Mention

Are we Ready to Dig in?
Director: Saransh Sugandh
for Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), Government of India
"The film captures the growing but ignored issue of solid waste management and proposes a novel solution of capturing methane for energy production"

No Problem! 6 Months with the Barefoot Grandmamas
Director: Yasmin Kidwai
for Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India
"The Jury felt the film was a tribute to the grit and determination of rural women to find a local solution using solar power for their electricity requirements, which also addresses the problem of climate change at the global level"

Tales of Gorakhpur: Path Towards a Climate Resilient Future
00:19:39 | English and Hindi with English Subtitles | Rishu Nigam | for The Rockefeller Foundation

Winner

Winner

Jury Special Mention

Jury Special Mention

Chilika - Jewel of Odisha (Winner)
Director: Shekar Dattatri
for Chilika Development Authority
"The Jury appreciated the filmmaker's successful capture of the romance of Chilika Lake, where each species carves out its space and food sources in the rich biological diversity of the river, even as the lake faces threats to its survival"

Tiger Dynasty (Winner)
Director: S Nallamuthu for BBC Natural World "The Jury was impressed by the emotional connection that turned a simple act of relocation of tigers from Ranthambore to Sariska into a drama where the filmmaker follows the tigress in her new home where she reaffirms the role of every species in the biodiversity of Sariska"

Gaur in my Garden
Director: Rita Banerji
for Public Service Broadcasting Trust (PSBT) and Films Division, Government of India
"The man-animal conflict in the Kothagiri region of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve is seen in the harmless forays made by the gaur into tea gardens and how the visits frighten local residents"

Mangroves - Forests of the Tide
Director: Suresh Elamon
for Kerala State Biodiversity Board
"India's rich mangrove wealth is gradually declining and the Jury was happy that the filmmaker has emphasised the role played by this plant in protecting the coastline from the ravages of nature"

Corbett's Legacy
00:35:45 | English and Hindi | Naresh Bedi | for Uttarakhand Forest Department

Tales of Gorakhpur: Path Towards a Climate Resilient Future
00:19:39 | English and Hindi with English Subtitles | Rishu Nigam | for The Rockefeller Foundation

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY INDIAN AWARD

Tiger Dynasty
Director: S Nallamuthu
for BBC Natural World
"The Jury appreciated breathtaking camera work executed over two years capturing the intimate and challenging journey of young tigers"

BEST STORY INDIAN AWARD

The Tiger, They're All Dead
Director: Reema Sengupta
"A very different take on a potential (but tragic) reality. The Jury appreciated the elements of satire weaved into the story"

BEST EDITING INDIAN AWARD

Chronicles of Oblivion
Director: Priyanjana Dutta
for Dakshin Foundation
"The Jury landed the seamless juxt

The Last Lion
Director: Dereck and Beverly Joubert
for National Geographic Channels (NGC)
"For showcasing in a powerful narrative, the issues of wildlife conservation and human encroachment through a moving story of a lioness struggle for survival"

Winner

30 Ghosts (Winner)
Director: Andrew Telling
"For its compelling communication of interconnectedness of man and nature"

Birding: Hobby or Mission
00:01:55 | Non-verbal with English Subtitles | Iva P Hristova - Nikolova | BULGARIA

It Depends on Us
00:01:40 | Non-verbal | Roman Safin

Jewels of the Morning - Images of Nature
00:01:16 | Non-verbal with English Subtitles | Andy Dorrine

Missing
00:02:00 | English with English Subtitles | Thierry Grobet | SWITZERLAND | for WWF International Film Competition

Winner

Jury Special Mention

Nature, Like a Child Need of your Care! (Winner)
Director: Michael Poletaew
"The Jury unanimously awarded the best animation award to this film for clarity and simplicity of communication using simple animation technique"

How Bird-Catcher Became Bird-Admirer
Director: Kate Podlipskaya
"Remarkable film by a 10 year old"

POP
00:03:08 | English | Rachel Moore | CANADA

Winner

Wildes Skandinavien - Das Abenteuer (Wild Scandinavia - The Adventure) (Winner)
Director: Heiko De Groot
for NDR (German Broadcast)
"For spectacular cinematography and capturing rarely seen location in Scandinavia in all its breath taking grandeur"

Finnland (Wildes Skandinavien) - Finland (Wild Scandinavia)
00:55:45 | English | Oliver Goetzl | for NDR Naturfilm/ Studio Hamburg Doclights |GERMANY

God Save the Green
01:18:35 | French, German, Portugese, Arabic, Italian, Swahili and English with English Subtitles | Alessandro Rossi | ITALY

Winner

Winner

Stand (Winner)
Director: Nicolas Teichrob and Anthony Bonello
"For evocatively capturing stand-up paddler's and singers' journey for mobilising and uniting a community facing threats posed by a proposed oil pipeline in British Columbia"

The New Environmentalists - From Chicago to the Karoo (Winner)
Director: John Atonally, Will Pirandello and Tom Dusenbery
"Inspiring stories of individuals as catalysts for collective action"

A2 (A2-B-C)
01:09:57 | Japanese and English with English Subtitles | Ian Thomas Ash| JAPAN

We are in the Field - Adventures of a Third World Environmental Activist
00:28:49 | English and Nepali with English Subtitles | Gabriel Diamond | USA

Winner

Wind of Change (Winner)
Director: Julia Dahr
"For a moving portrayal of an individual family and its efforts to cope with climate change showcases human resilience in the face of uncertainty"

A Climate of Change
00:38:04 | English with English Subtitles | Jenny Sharman | UNITED KINGDOM | for Swedish Cooperative Centre and VI Agroforestry, SCC-VI Eastern Africa

RE:source, RE:duce, RE:cycle, RE:use Planet RE:think
01:25:28 | Spanish, Chinese, Hindi, English and Zulu with English Subtitles | Eskil Hardt | DENMARK

The Attack of 1.5 Degrees, The Sea of Jeju
01:01:13 | Korean with English Subtitles | Jang-Won-Joon |KOREA | for MBN (Maeoil Broadcasting Network)

Winner

Jury Special Mention

Smarty Plants (Winner)
Director: Erna Buffie
"For showing an entirely new dimension to our understanding of plants behaviour & responses: the competition, conflict and nurturing aspects and bringing a 'static' subject to life"

Havets Solv (The Silver of the Sea)
Director: Are Pilskog
"For capturing life chain very well and its gripping is seen through the eyes of a puffin chick"

The Moor
Director: Jan Haft
"An engaging film showing the rich biodiversity of an unglamorous and often overlooked ecosystem"

Connecting Flight
00:01:56 | Non-verbal | Kate Podlipskaya

Dream Readers of Amazon
00:01:35 | Non-verbal with English Subtitles | Nitin Das

Europe's Last Wild Horses
00:48:48 | English | Christian Baumeister |GERMANY | for WDR

In Omnia Paratus… for the Sharks
00:02:00 | English | Madison Stewart

People of a Feather
00:53:21 | English and Innutitut with English Subtitles |CANADA | Joel Heath

Raiti Tzipur (The Last Moment People)
01:17:08 | Hebrew with English Subtitles | Ronen Zaretzkty and Yael Kipper | ISRAEL | for Yes.docu

The Last Ocean
01:27:29 | English | Peter Young | NEW ZEALAND