Press Release
New Delhi Dec 05, 2006

Creating Concern with power of Celluloid/documentary films

Hyderabad CMS VATAVARAN 2006
Environment and Wildlife Traveling Film Festival

December 5, 2006: First Hyderabad CMS VATAVARAN 2006 - Environment and Wildlife Traveling Film Festival will be inaugurated by Shri J Harinarayan, Chief Secretary, Andhra Pradesh on 7th December 2006, will be held at Indira Priyadarshini Auditorium, Public Gardens. Dr. Purshottam Reddy would be special invitee.

The festival is jointly organized by CMS, New Delhi and Andhra Pradesh National Green Corps and is partially supported by Ministry of Environment and Forests, GoI with Andhra Jyothi as the media partner.

This traveling film festival, Hyderabad CMS VATAVARAN 2006 will offer a bouquet of over 30 films. Many of these films have won the coveted CMS VATAVARAN awards. This festival presents an opportunity to view an array of films on topical, Indian environment and wildlife issues.

"CMS VATAVARAN 2006 is a movement. A movement for creating concern and compassion for environment, nature and wildlife in the society. It is a multi-faceted national activity." says Dr. N. Bhaskara Rao, Chairman, CMS.

To be screened at the film festival will be regional films like Prema Malini's GO 111, Noise Pollution and Water Conservation by Brahamanand Reddy and W G Prasanna Kumar apart from films that highlight the local topical issues like Shriprakash's Whose Forest, Lakes - Protecting & Preserving a Rich Natural Resource, a film by HUDA

Also to be screened at the festival are films like Shekar Dattatri's Point Calimere: Little Kingdom by the Coast, which offers a glimpse into Point Calimere's remarkable ecosystem and its problems. Also to be screened will be the CMS Fellowship film by Prayas, Abhay and Manjushree titled 'Leaving No Trace…Cyclist in the City', Romulus Whitaker's Spunky Monkey on the adaptability of the the Bonnet Macaque, Dhimant Vyas's Cute Bunny on keeping the environment clean, Nutan Manmohan's A Second Hand Life, on e-waste business will also be screened at the festival.

Apart from the film screening there will be parallel activities like pane discussions and symposium focusing on the local topical issues like Hyderabad Lakes and Water Bodies: Issues and Concerns; Urban bio-diversity, parks and forests: Need for an sustainable approach and Whose's Forest?

The festival will felicitate the young environment enthusiast Ms. Shravya Mallavarapu, who is also among the five finalists in the POGO channel's Amazing Kids Award, Ms. Prema, Senior Journalist, Tv9, Filmmaker, Mr. K B Tilak, Director, SPANDANA and P V Sateesh, President Deccan Development Society

The festival will reach out to filmmakers, NGOs, government organizations, environmentalists, researchers, conservationists, policy makers, activists, public and private sector organisations and students of all ages.

CMS, the organizers and promoters of CMS VATAVARAN Travelling film festival across the country has set its goal on reaching out to a larger audience across the length and breath of the nation; creating a network of people bringing issues of local, regional and national concern and creating a dialogue between various stakeholders. In order to achieve this CMS VATAVARAN travels to state capitals, prominent cities, towns and villages, showcasing the finest films on environmental and wildlife issues. CMS VATAVARAN in its second travelling year has already been organized at various cities including Bangalore, Chandigarh, Coimbatore, Chennai, Kashmir, Sirmour, Abu Dhabi Pune, Kolkata and more recently in Guwahati and Ranchi.

For more information (including film stills), contact:
Mou Biswas
M: 98990 46582
CMS VATAVARAN Film Festival Directorate,
CMS
1300A, Road No. 66, Jubilee Hills Society, Hyderabad 500 033
P: 040-23608188; Telefax: 040-23540493
E: cmshyderabad@gmail.com; vatavaran@cmsindia.org; info@cmsvatavaran.org   www.cmsvatavaran.org