This article explores trends in the use of the medium of documentary film to communicate about, and advocate increased attention to, environmental, wildlife, and natural resources management issues in India. Of the 18 biodiversity hotspots identified in the 1980s, India has 2: the Western Ghats and the Eastern Himalayas - areas which are "now increasingly coming under pressure." According to author Frederick Noronha, a small but growing number of independent documentary-makers across the country are "catching these [concerns] on film to make sure the story gets heard." He explains that "there are stories of despair, voices of concern, and above all signs that people still care for what's happening to each other in times when selfishness seems to otherwise rule." For Noronha, that is, the expansion in the number and range of "green" documentaries is consistent with the fact that "Environmentalism in India isn't just an environmentalist fad..."

Noronha focuses here on Vatavaran, a festival of environmental and wildlife films which was screened in the national capital of New Delhi in November 2005 and is in 2006 traveling across the country. This is the third edition of Vatavaran; previously, it was held in 2002 and 2003. In those years, it drew 100 and 150 entries, respectively. In 2005, the Centre for Media Studies (CMS) received a significantly larger number of entries for the festival: 244. Organisers say they were surprised that the film festival could sustain itself in its second year, and has actually "grown vastly" the third time around. Looking ahead, the festival is also working to bring in films from the rest of Asia, even while keeping the focus largely on India.

One CMS official explained, "We feel Vatavaran is one of the most powerful platforms for advocacy (about the environment). It's not just a film festival." In keeping with that strategy, 2005's screenings coincided with the annual congress of the International Federation of Environmental Journalists. Collaborative efforts have been underway to promote a "film bazaar" where environment enthusiasts are encouraged to buy films for use in their advocacy work. Along these lines, workshops on subjects like the shifting trends in wildlife film-making, corporate social responsibility for sustainable development, electronic waste management, underwater filming, and environmental journalism, have also been incorporated into Vatavaran.

In 2005, Vatavaran invited entries in several categories, including: wildlife, natural history and conservation; forests for life; environment (the largest, with 78 entries); public service films; animation; and entries by students. To cite just a few of the many films that Noronha discusses:

• 'More Men in Black' is a film about pollution on the outskirts of Delhi, as some 10,000 men on cycles go about collecting waste oil flowing down local drains in an attempt to make a livelihood. "Nearby, chemical factories are shown polluting the local environment, even as the rush to boost exports and also feed local consumption means that it's the poor who don't benefit and yet have to pay a heavy price."
• From West Bengal comes "the story of arsenic poisoning from the ground-water. This is a story that affects and endangers some 28 million people, yet it hardly gets the attention it deserves..."
• 'River Taming Mantras' is "a powerful film about the recurring floods that plague eastern India on a yearly basis. Its cameraman travels on the roof of a moving train, and in helicopters visiting flooded areas, to get to the story....[P]ost-Independent India has followed a strategy of trying to 'control rivers' through dams, canals and river embankments. This has turned into a disaster that has blocked flood waters from receeding today, worsening the problem. Elevated railway lands and roads have also acted as 'bunds' (blocks to the flowing water), further complicating the problem. This film graphically shows how officials prefer to take the easy way out, and simply blame the nearby mountainous country of Nepal for causing the floods..."
• 'The Source of Life for Sale' is about water privatisation. "Under the pretext of promoting the efficient use of water, a number of forces - governments, bureaucrats, politicians, institutions like the World Bank, and also corporations - are out to privatise water. In some cases, this greed extends to entire rivers."
• 'Worship With A Difference' is a report from Pandharpur in Maharashtra, where young college students work to share an environmental message during a popular religious march.

"As some of these, and other, films get taken to diverse parts of India for the 'travelling festival', the new digital audio visual technologies are helping to take the message to many more people: India's environment is rich, but also fragile."

Editor's note: Click here to learn more about Vatavaran, including how to order films from the festival.

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