CMS to host environmental film festival in Tripura

Agartala, June 15 (UNI) In a bid to sensitise students and the common masses, the Delhi-based Centre for Media Studies (CMS) and the premier film society in Tripura Cine Delve has announced to host a three-day environmental film festival here during the last week of September.

Talking to mediapersons here today, CMS festival manager Ashwini Sinha said the festival would propagate the message of maintaining a green earth and underscore the need to be sensitise the masses with its CMS Vatavaran, the third environment and wildlife film festival.

''We would be screening films on the rich bio-diversity of Tripura, besides internationally acclaimed films on environmental protection during the festival between September 26-28,'' Mr Sinha said, adding that Agartala would be the first among seven other Indian cities to hold the festival this year.

Besides Agartala, the CMS Vatavaran film festival would be organised in Bhopal, Coimbatore, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Pune and Ranchi in a phased manner and in Agartala about 40 films on environment protection and bio-diversity conservation will be screened free of cost.

Mr Sinha said CMS Vatavaran had already covered 16 Indian cities in the past two years and organised film festivals while more than 500 films, not on cinematic art of the films but focusing more on using them as tools and catalysts for fostering environment-friendliness, had been screened.

The CMS's state partner Tripura State Pollution Control Board (TSPCB) Chairman Prof Mihir Deb told UNI that the idea for the festival would be Climate Change, which was in consonance with the United Nations Environmental Programme's (UNEP) theme of World Environment Day 2008 - ''CO2 Kick the habit: Towards a low carbon economy.'' The festival would explore issues of regional and local concerns, hosting an open range of interactive programmes comprising award winning environmental films, besides expert talks, seminar on climate change, two symposiums - conservation and livelihood security and water for all in Tripura, climate expo and workshops, Prof Deb added.

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