Environment and wildlife film festival in Guwahati on Nov 24

Guwahati, Nov 21 (UNI) The second edition of the Guwahati CMS Vatavaran Environment and Wildlife Traveling Film Festival, 2006, will commence with a three-day programme on November 24.

About 16 films on wildlife and environment and their impact on the life of the people would be screened with Gautam Saikia's 'The Jaws of Death' as the inaugural film.

Besides, three workshops on -- 'What makes a good environment film?', 'Green media and green films in NE India: Challenges and Opportunities' and another with NE filmmakers have been organised during the festival.

Festival manager Priya Verma told the newsmen here today that the objective was to encourage documentation of environmental films and help the filmmakers showcase their films.

The festival is being organised by CMS Vatavaran along with the environmental organisation Aranyak and supported by the Union Environment and Forests ministry.

Such film festival had started in Kolkata earlier this year and traveled across the country and abroad before reaching Guwahati, she said.

The next venues are Hyderabad and Ranchi, she added.

'' The first environment film festival here has helped to increase awareness and interest among the filmmakers as well as the audiences.'' Ms Verma said Besides, it had opened a commercial avenue for such films, she informed.

She also added upon the people's request we have opened a film bazaar where one can buy these films.

In NE, environment is an integral part of all aspects of life and the people need to be made more aware of how these things directly effect their lives, she added.

Director Mauleenath Senapati's film 'Where the tallest grass grows', which would be screened in the festival, tells how bamboo is related to the day-to-day lives of the Asomese.

UNI SG PP RN1755