'Next Film Festival of India to have a Wildscreen'

New Delhi, Jan 19: 'Wildscreen', the world's most prestigious and largest wildlife and environment film festival, was inaugurated here today with Minister for Information and Braodcasting Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi announcing that the next International Film Festival of India will have a separate section of environment films.

The Bristol-based festival which is celebrating its 25th anniversary, has come to India for the first time and it will be touring Kolkata, Chennai and Pune too.

A galaxy of celebrated filmakers, experts and activists like Mike Salisbury, Jane Goodal, Jeremy Bristow, Karen Partridge, Laura Marshall are partcipating in the festival.

Mr Dasmunsi said the festival will give a great opportunity to Indian filmmakers to learn and and will create a new interest in the young filmmakers.

The conservation and protection of environment and adopting a form of development that was sustainable were some of the vital issues facing the country, and film can go a long way in creating an awareness in this regard, he said.

The inaugural film of the Wildscreen today was 'Cave' a film of Planet Earth series produced by Alaistair Fothergill and narrated by David Attenborough. The week-long festival will feature other masterpieces of environment and wildlife films and series of masterclasses or workshops.

The films include 'Life in the Undergrowth:Invasion of Land produced by Mike Salisbury, Meerakat manor: A Family Affair by Lucinda Axelsson, Mississippi:Tales of the last River Rat by Andrew Graham Brown, and Jane Goodall:When Animals Talk by Joanne Scofield.

Wildscreen executive producer Harriet Nimmo said the objective of bringing the festival to India was to share some of Bristol's ideas, experiences and skills to help the India nature film industry grow so that more people can understand the environmental challenges.

Wildscreen, a UK-Based educational charity founded in 1982, works globally to promote nature conservation and public appreciation of biodiveristy using the power of public imagery.

The festival has been brough to India jointly by the British High Commission and the British Council.

UNI