Biological Paradise of Andhra Pradesh (English/10min/2004/beta)

Producer: The Hindu Media Resource Centre, M.S Swaminathan Research Foundation

Director: Dr.K Bhanumathi

A film on mangrove forests in the estuaries of Krishna and Godavari delta regions of Andhra Pradesh. Mangrove enhances fish productivity by acting as a nursery to marine and fresh water life forms. They serve as a rich source of ra materials, medicines, shelter and fodder to local communities and reduce coastal erosion, natural storms and cyclones. Mangroves are destroyed for timber and firewood due to human greed or ignorance, lack of information and indiscreet use. The scientific mangrove restoration techniques are portrayed.

Bargad Ne Kaha Dekho Meri Duniya (Hindi/15 min/2005/DV)

Producer/Director Anil Yadav

Banyan tree is a complete ecological system itself. It is a shelter to micro organisms like algae, fungi and bacteria to macro organisms like insects, reptiles, birds, cattle and mammals. Banyan tree has the strange capacity to extend its own self. Every year, during the rainy season, the swinging aerial roots shoots out through its branches and grows. As the roots touch the earth, they give shoulder to the mother tree. Whenever a banyan tree is felled, it means the land becomes devoid of hundreds of micro-macro biological and botanical organisms. Survival of human beings is doubtful if this oxygenated ecological system vanishes.

Bio Control of Teak Defoliator ( English/15 min/2004/beta)

Producer: Kerala Forest Research Institute (KFRI)

Director: Dr. T.V Sanjeev

Shot at Nilambur, Kerala which is known as the cradle of Indian Forestry, the film documents the development of an eco friendly method to solve the problem of defoliator outbreaks which had evaded control for the past 150 years. The film starts with defining the economic impact of the pest both in terms f wood loss and revenue unrealized. The dynamics of pest outbreaks is explained next with a review of the past research efforts. After a comparative analysis of the potential bio control agents like predators, parasites and pathogens, the film shows why the Nuclear Polyhedrosis Virus was selected as the best bio control agent.

Cherrapunji-Rain, Rain Everywhere, but Not a Drop to Drink (English/28min/2004/Beta)

Producer: Public Service Broadcasting Trust(PSBT)

Director: Madhumita Chakraborty

This film focuses on the severe drinking water crisis in Cherrapunji, one of the wettest places on earth. This irony of fate, people trekking long distances to fetch drinking water, even as the heavens pour rains, has been brought about by indiscriminate felling of trees in this area. To make life worse, even the rains, once the pride of Cherrapunji, have decreased. This has happened due to cutting down of forests- the few remaining tall trees are unable to stop the rain bearing clouds.

Devta Activists ( Hindi and English/28min/2005/DV)

Producer: Public Service Broadcasting Trust(PSBT)

Director: Sanjay Barnela

“Devta Activists” is set in the Kullu valley of the Indian Himalayas. It seeks to explore the role of traditional institutions such as ‘Devtas'(deities) in conservation of natural resources. By acceding control over natural resources to devtas several informal conservation practices of local communities have constituted themselves over time. Today, these practices find their authority threatened because of the presence of two looming symbols of modernity in the area. The Great Himalayan National Park and the Parvati Hydro-electric project, the former representing the exclusionary approach to conservation and the latter a symbol of national development. The film is a study of how local traditions negotiate with contemporary discourses on scientific conservation and national development.

Einthinayude Naalvazhikal ( Malayalam/63min/2000/beta)

Producer: Department of Forests and Wildlife, Government of Kerala, Trivandrum

Director: E. Unnikrishnan

This film unveils the beauty, vitality and richness and variety in wealth of the orests of Kerala. Kerala is home to two biological hot spots which are repositories of endangered flora and fauna; Silent Valley in the middle part of Kerala and Agasthyakoodam in South Kerala . The joint forest management projects, which was a pioneering attempt, in the conservation of forests and wildlife with participation of tribals is also presented. The threats to forests nad wildlife and the pattern of alarming decline in area and the epoch making struggles for preserving Silent Valley biological park is also highlighted in the film.

Invocations to the Mountain Goddess ( English/64 min/2004/beta)

Producer: /Director: Christopher Rego

The Niti Valley in the Garhwal Himalayas has been declared a protected area by the Government of India for conserving its natural biodiversity. This was disastrous for the pastoral Bhotiya community who live in the far flung mountain settlements scattered throughout the reserve. Deprived by new laws of access to the alpine pastures where their flocks once grazed, this proud tribe of shepherds has been forced to sell off the livestock wealth that formed the bedrock of their traditional way of life. Ironically, the Bhotias are not opposed to the conservation ethic itself- in fact, it was from these very villages that began the famous ‘Chipko' movement, in which women “hugged” trees to stop timber felling by Government contractors.

Healers or All Reasons (English, Hindi and Gujarati/28mins/2005/DV)

Producer: Public Service Broadcasting Trust (PSBT)

Director: Vijay S Jodha

This is a fascinating portrait of Rehmat Khan Solanki and Karimbhai Sumra – two village healers of Gujarat , whose lives and work embody respect for biodiversity, Gandhian selfless service and promotion of communal harmony at the grassroots. Rehmat Khan Solanki of Chur village uses traditional and eco-friendly methods to cure animals. Karimbhai Sumra of Virampur village uses herbs to treat humans, animals and even plants. He has also gone to the extent of creating a forest of 12,000 plant varieties that have great medicinal value.

Jal, Jungle Aur Jeevan ( Hindi/12min/2005/Beta)

Producer: Educational Multimedia Research Centre (EMMRC), Jodhpur

Director: Manohar Lalas

Water is responsible for base of forest and forest helps in nurturing life. People living in jungles know it very well and also apply it in their day-to-day life style. The proof of this is the tribal area of Southern Rajasthan Aravalli region. The tribal people may not be literate but their knowledge related to the plants and their uses is tremendous. They cut only those trees and such parts of the trees, which does not damage the overall environmental balance. During the folk festival Gavri these tribals don't use or cut certain prohibited vegetables.

Kareem and his Forest (English/12min/2002/Beta)

Producer/Director: Abdu Raoof A I

Kasargod in Kerala is known for its peculiar topography. Drinking water is scarce everywhere in Kasargod, but not in the village of Puliamkulam . Here water is in plenty even in summer. Thanks to the sustained efforts of Abdul Kareem in raising a forest. The forest now has a number of varieties of wild trees and herbs. The soil has become fertile and its water holding capacity has increased.

Know Their Land ( English/28 min/2005/beta)

Producer/Director: Faiyaz Dilbar

The film focuses on the issues concerning the degradation of natural resources particularly land, water and forests. It also highlights the efforts of Society for Promotion of Wastelands Development (SPWD), an NGO, aimed at halting and reversing the trends of degradation. Development of pasture land and joint forest management with local tribal communities for conservation and regeneration in Sabarkantha, Chittaurgarh and Udaipur are the landmark success stories in the film. The film also shows the activities of ‘Dalin ka Dagadia'(Friends of Trees), a local group of Tehri Garhwal in mid Himalayas,Uttaranchal, whose efforts have made it customary that every girl in the region must plant a tree before her wedding ceremony, and this has become an important ritual.

Leopards of Bollywood (English/47min/2004/Digital Beta)

Producer: Nikhil J Alva

Director: Animitra Chakravarti

The film tells the frightening story of leopards that have struck terror in the suburbs of Mumbai , India 's commercial and film hub, popularly known as Bollywood. Around the sets lurks a silent stalker. Coming to work can sometimes mean death. Who will be the next victim? Unfolding in the shadow of Bollywood is a fascinating real life plot. Leopards of Bollywood follow Prakash Thosre, a senior forest officer and a leopard specialist, who has been called in to the Film City of Mumbai to solve a nasty man-animal conflict. Leopards residing in the adjoining Sanjay Gandhi National park have struck fear in the minds of the film crew and locals. There have been 44 attacks on humans.

Only an Axe Away ( Malayalam/40min/2004/DV)

Producer: Third Eye Communications

Director: P. Baburaj and C. Saratchandran

This film narrates the history of the unique campaign to save the Silent Valley from destructive development. Silent Valley was declared a National Park 20 years ago in 1984. But the threat to Silent Valley does not cease to exist! The Kerala State Electricity Board plans to build a dam on the fringes of the Silent Valley National Park at Pathrakadavu across the river Kunthi. Nature lovers are concerned that the proposed dam will harm the pristine Ever Green Forests in the Valley. The film shares the anxiety of the people of Kerala about the future of the Silent Valley .

People of God ( English/29min/2001/beta)

Producer/Director: Dr.John Paul Herman

The film is based on the experience of te Director with the simple and loving tribal people of Seppa, in Arunachal Pradesh, which is located at the border of Tibet .

Seppa is a small district headquarter situated at the bank of river Kameng. Tribal people of Seppa are called Bangni ( means people). The film captures the beautiful sceneries of the place and also tries to look closer into the lives of the people, highlighting their joys and sorrows, hardships and difficulties. It also focuses on the changes coming in through developmental activities.

Shikaar ( Bengali/10min/2004/MiniDV)

Producer: Bikramaditya Guha Roy

Director: Saurav Dutta

A beautiful day dawns, caressed by the morning star's shine, after a long cold night at the forest. The weary spirit of the buck that has evaded the predator's grasp all through this night is rejuvenated. He wades down to the river and suddenly all the serenity is broken by a strange sound.

The Apatani of Arunachal Pradesh ( English/54min/2002/beta)

Producer: Iqbal Malhotra

Director: Anu Malhotra

The mysterious and beautiful north east hill regin of India has been all but sealed off from the outside world. The state of Arunachal Pradesh, bordering Burma and China is one of the few unspoilt wild areas in India .

The film is an exploration of the Apatani people and their life style. The unique qualities of the Apatani culture and the intrinsic wisdom of their customary way of life are documented.

The Apatani live in traditional villages and are famed for their “economic miracle” of terraced rice cultivation and the conservation of natural resources without the use of modern technology. The Apatani society exhibits an amazing level of solidarity due to their societal structure. The film documentsa ritualistic sacrifice, the time-honored Apatani legal institution of the Tribal Council, traditional Apatani wedding, funeral and burial ceremonies.

The Khasis of Meghalaya ( English/ 53min/2002/Beta)

Producer: Iqbal Malhotra

Director: Amitabh Munshi

Khasis are believed to be the remnants of the first Mongolian overflow into India . They inhabit nad dominate Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya. The film peeps into the animistic traditions and customs common to the indigenous people of the North East. The film also explores the impact of Christianity on this community. The role of Clan Mother, the worldly equivalent of the Primal Mother, is covered through the rituals surrounding birth and death. Her role in the social structure and community development through administration of clan property is also highlighted.

The Green Warriors- Apatanis ( English/28min/2004/Beta)

Producer/Director: Jyoti Prasad Das

The agricultural practice of the Apatanis is unique in the South East Asian cauldron of ethnicities. They are the survivors of the ever changing cultural space of the Eastern Himalayas . Apatanis are the survivors in this wonderland of traditions in spite of modernity's onslaught of Green Revolution. They have survived since time immemorial with their own indigenous agricultural temper vis-a vis mainstream Green Revolution. Apatanis have shown the rest of India how tradition blends with time and transcends the ecological nuances. That is why they are called the Green Warriors.

Under the Sun ( Bengali, Hindi, Kannada, Thulu/55min/2005/MiniDV)

Producer/Director: Nilanjan Bhattacharya

The film captures the magnitude of India 's biological wealth as well as the related local traditional knowledge while examining the reasons for their rapid decline. The documentary focuses on two of the world's eighteen-biodiversity hotspots' tradition of sustainable use of local biodiversity resources. The film also focuses on West Bengal for its tremendous variety of agricultural crops, as well as the rich indigenous knowledge.

The Dying Beauty (English/22min/2005/Digital beta)

Producer: Bluemount media works

Director: M. Pratap Murali

The Irulas in Palkkad district, Kerala are indigenous tribals. There are still areas which are untouched by literacy and basic facilities.

Development flows from the barrel of a Gun ( Hindi with English subtitiles/54min/2003/SVHS edited in DV)

Producer: Meghnath Akhra

Director: Biju Toppo

This is a film on the human right violations of the indigenous people of India . The film documents the youth movement against destructive development in Jharkhand and calls for sustainable development not at the cost of the people.

Voices and choices in the Great Himalayan National Park (English/21min/2004/DV)

Producer/Director: Sanjeeva Pandey and Friends of GHNP

The film is about the Great Himalayan National Park and deals with the issues of biodiversity conservation and sustainable livelihoods for the villages surrounding the Park. GHNP, India 's newest national Park, is the home of many endangered species and it is the only region of the Western Himalayas that is currently protected from human impacts. Surrounding GHNP is an eco-zone with 14,000 villagers who once used the now-Park lands for their economic benefit. Now excluded from GHNP, a local NGO Sahara and Park Officials are developing a unique model to hopefully ensure the protection of the Park environment and the economic well being of the villagers.

A Shivalik Monsoon ( English/25min/2000/digibeta)

Producer/Director: Rupin Dang

A first-time ever close look into the life of the Paradise Flycatcher, certainly the most beautiful and widely distributed bird of the Indian subcontinent. The Paradise flycatchers have been filmed in the Shivaliks for the first time in intimate detail, along with all the other exciting denizens of their sylvan sub-Himalayan world, including the rare pied horn bill, the cliff dwelling goral and the orange headed ground thrush.

Butterflies of Thanuppanchola (English/31min/2003/DV)

Producer: Department of Forest and Wildlife, Government of Kerala

Director:” E.Kunhikrishnan

Thanuppanchola is a strip of rain forest that remains in the Vazhikkadavu ghat in Nilambur, along the flanks of Nilgiris in the southern Western Ghats . More than 130 species of butterflies have been recorded from here during the two months of shooting. Seventy five species are shown in the film.

Elephant-God or Destroyer ( English/30min/2005/DV)

Producer: Public Service broadcasting Trust

Director: Krishnendu Bose

The film brings the ‘big' conflict to the small screen and juxtaposes it with the reverence of elephant as God. On a cold winter night the villagers wait for the elephant herd to strike the paddy fields. 300 people die every year-trampled by these giants and the villagers get meager support with conventional arms to combat them-fire crackers and beating of empty cooking oil tins. The film is also an exposition of the elephant habitat and behaviour.

Indian Leopards-The Killing Fields (English/53min/2003/Beta, DV & mini DV)

Producer/Director: Praveen Singh

In a beauty pageant of the animal world, the leopard would find a spot right at the top. Its fiendish cunning is the stuff of legend. Feared and admired, the leopard leaves no one untouched. But a lack of knowledge about the life of this elusive cat adds to the threat of its survival. And many more people are regularly killed by leopards than tigers.

This film presents a family who lost a child, a scientist trying to understand the leopard and conservationists trying to balance between the need to conserve wildlife and the need to protect people.

Kurinhithinayilude ( Malayalm/38min/2001/beta)

Producer: Centre for Development of imaging technology(C-DIT)

Director: K Mohan Kumar

The Western Ghats ranges is one of the 18 biological hotspots and the flora and fauna inhabiting this grassland is rich in diversity with certain endangered species setting this place as their abode. The film throws light on these species and the humans inhabiting with these species. This documentary explores the Nilgiri mountain ranges and the life patterns of different life forms unique to this region.

Panna-Jewel of Central India ( English/15min/2003/Mini DV)

Producer/Director: Shekar Dattatri

Set in the central Vindhyan plateau, the 543 sq.km Panna Tiger Reserve in northern Madhya Pradesh has some of the finest scenery in an Indian national Park. Imposing plateaus and deep gorges lend a stark beauty to this rugged landscape, which also has the magnificent Ken River running through it.

For most visitors to Panna, the tiger is its main attraction. But the Park is also home to a wide variety of other wildlife, including leopard, sloth bear, sambhar, chital, chosingha and chinkara. Over 200 species of birds have been recorded.

Wild India 24 Hours ( English/13min/2004/Digi Beta)

Producer/Director: Rupin Dang

The film covers the entire Indian subcontinent in one sweeping montage, from Pakistan to Myanmar , from Kashmir in the north to Kanyakumari and the Indian Ocean to the south. Everything is happening in one 24 hour sunrise-sunset-sunrise period on a winter day in December 2003.and yet there is a sense of timelessness about this fantastic journey through the heart of wilderness India . Definitely a first –ever attempt on such a scale and in such a tricky geographic sweep of terrain!

Vultures: Death Watch (English/47mins/2005/DigiBeta)

Producer: Pria Somiah

Director: Niret Alva and Nikhil J Alva

Death watch sets out to find out what's killing vultures in the Indian sub-continent. Over a decade, their numbers have dropped by almost 90%. Ornithologists across the world are alarmed. Indian communities like the Parsis for whom vultures are an important part of the tradition and play a crucial role in the disposal of their dead are worried. As are the thousands of “cattle skinners” spread across the country that are dependent on the efficiency with which vultures scavenge on animal carcasses, for their livelihood. The film explores the dependence of man on this carrion eater.

Wildlife Plus ( English/28min/2004/Beta)

Producer: Public Service Broadcasting Trust

Director: Ajay Shetty and Anasuya Vaidya

Animals and dance, music and nature, is there a thread that runs through them? These rae some of the questions a group of kids try and find the answers to, as they spend a summer learning the classical arts.

Though art forms are diverse they discover the interlinked awareness of the world around them. As they sing, dance, play and fight through the summer they also learn a great deal about nature. Helping them I their joyous journey of discovert are eminent performers Gopal Sharman and Jalabala Vaidya.

..Just Another Death ( Marathi/25min/2004/DV)

Producer/Director: Vilas Kane

The film focuses on snakes crushed to death due to heavy vehicular traffic on roads passing through forest. An independent survey, conducted at Mahabaleshwar in Western Ghats , lead to an alarming figure of 172 snakes of 12 different species crushed to death on surfaced roads, in eight days. The area was just 250 sq.kms with about 100 sq.kms of network of surfaced roads. The purpose of the film is also to create awareness in common people, about these un-intentional, but unfortunate deaths happening on roads passing through forests.

Anathavalam-The Elephants' Paradise ( English/18min/2000)

Producer: P.V. Viswambharan

Director: VimalV

Caparisoned elephant is a requirement for every auspicious occasion or a celebration in Kerala. The famous Lord Krishna temple in Guruvayoor, Kerala maintains a 300 year old elephant camp. Only of its kind in India , this camp for captive elephants trains the animals for processions and temple rituals.

Aranya Yatra- Ek Sukhad Anubhuti (Hindi/27min/2005/Beta)

Producer: Diksha Kumari Prasad

Director: Payal Deogam

The film introduces to the viewers the forests of wildlife sanctuaries of Hazaribagh, Koderma, Parasnath and Topchanchi as observed by a university student, Jigisha. Though some of these forests are notifie as Protected Areas, they face problems like mining. The issue of relocation of forest dwellers also comes to light. Man-animal conflict is quite common in these sanctuaries. Modern electric fencing around villages is being done to protect the villagers. But poverty and lack of alternate livelihood forces the people to go into the forest and act in contravention of forest laws.

Bhalku….Ek Engineer (Hindi/28min/2003/Beta)

Producer: Genesis Media

Director: Kala Iyer

Bhalku, a villager with traditional engineering skills who helped the British in setting up an amazing rail track from Kalka to Shimla in Himachal Pradesh. Though completely illiterate, the British invited Bhalku to assist them for not only the Kalka –shimla rail track but also for the grand Indo-Tibet highway. Due to his unusual abilities, feel and love for Nature he achieved the impossible. They awarded him the title of “engineer” for his engineering skills. Through Bhalku's exemplary life of loving and relating to Mother nature and being one with the environment the film brings forth the ideology that we just cannot always take from nature, we must learn to give as well.

Kanha- Protecting a Paradise ( English/17 mins/2004/MiniDV)

Producer/Director: Shekar Dattatri

Kanha National Park , in Madhya Pradesh, is one of the most well known Project Tiger reserves in India . It is a veritable wildlife paradise, visited by about 50,000 people every year. The reserve's star attractions are its tigers and visitors are rarely disappointed in their quest to see one of these magnificent big cats in the wild. But what does it take to protect Kanha's tigers and other wildlife? In a country of one billion people and innumerable pressures, how does a reserve like Kanha manage to thrive?

Langur Business ( English/27mins/2005/Beta)

Producer/Director: Dr.Sukarna Deb

India is the land of biodiversity with thousands of different kinds of species found from Northern Himalayan region to Southern coastal region. In Tripura, we find a beautiful species called Phayeris Langur. Many people call them Spectacle monkey as white rings encircling the eyes give them an appearance of being bespectacled.

Life is Beautiful ( fill in the blank) ( English/24min/2005/MiniDV)

Producer: Deepak Sharma and Deepak Shah

Director: Sanyogita Sharma

The film is about wildlife conservation efforts with specific reference to big cats.

The film talks of reasons that can be understood for the extinction of big cats; how saving them is related to other wildlife survival; the conservation efforts being made at various levels; the debate on the approach towards conservation efforts; the probable steps that should be followed as conservation efforts from public opinion and how killing a tiger destroys beauty from life.

Lion-tailed macaque-An endangered primate of the Western Ghat (English/14min/2003/beta)

Producer: Educational Multimedia Research Centre(EMMRC)

Director: J K Siddeswara

Probably one of the most primitive of all the macaques is the Lion –Tailed Macaque, endemic to the Western Ghats of South India , are on the verge of extinction. The IUCN Red data book mentions only 3500 are left in the wild. The prolonged inter-birth interval and fragmented rainforest are all taking a toll on these magnificent macacques.

Living With Giants (English/50 min/Mini DVand super 16)

Producer: Shanthi Chandola

Director: Ashish Chandola

A film about Asian Elephants which is also a visual journey from Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and North Bengal, to the bhabar and terai wilderness of Corbett Tiger Reserve and Rajaji National Park. It also traverses the southern jungles of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, home to the single largest population of Wild Asian elephants.

The most up to date and accurate documentation of the state of elephant conservation in India , the film explores the relationship between man and elephants.

Besides authentic dramatic footage of action packed man-elephant interface, the program also contains classic material on the natural history of the Asian elephant in the wild.

Operation Gajraj ( English/8 mins/2005/DV)

Producer/Director: Diksha Kumari Prasad

The film is based on a true event and the shots used are original. On 4 April 2004 , in the late evening hours two wild elephants from the forests near Ranchi had entered the capital city of Jharkhand . Next morning the whole of Ranchi was in panic. The forest officials worked to guide the elephants safely to the Horhap forests adjacent to Ranchi .

The film silently put forth the question before public as to why and how the urban areas are expanding by destroying and fragmenting the habitat of wildlife.

Osobhano (The Hunt) ( English/23mins/2003/Mini DV)

Producer/Director: Anuj Singh

The film attempts to capture the ways of life of the Lotha tribe in Nagaland. Although the ways are traditional, some of them are taking a toll on the environment and the ecology.

Traditionally, the Nagas are food gatherers and they hunted anything that moved in the jungle. An overwhelming number of people have realized that indiscriminate hunting

is wiping out the animals and an ever-increasing variety of animal species have become rare.

The film tries to see how the slash, burn and shifting cultivation technique employed by the Lothas and the other nagas have a very adverse effect. They burn the forest and all the vegetations in the hill slopes and use the barren slopes to cultivate wheat and other cash crops.

Rainbows of Dark Sky (Assamese/15min/2005/beta)

Producer/Director: Sanjib B Bharadwaj

The film is about conserving aqua fauna especially fresh water ornamental fish of the north east. It focuses on the human interference in the natural sustainable life circle flow of these aquatic creatures. Due to mindless fishing, habitat destruction and overall indifferent attitude of our people these beautiful living beings are on the verge of extinction. Presently one hardly spots them in any of our water bodies.

Return to the Wild (English/7min/2004/beta)

Producer/Director: Himanshu Malhotra

Sunderbans tiger reserve in India has the largest mangrove forests in the world and is the only mangrove where tigers are found. Tigers often stray into village areas and are attacked and killed by the locals.

Recently a tiger strayed into Bali village mauling a woman and a boy and hid inside a house. The tigress was finally tranquilized by the forest department. The Bali Nature and Wildlife conservation Society and WWF members tried to pacify the large crowd which assembled to watch and kill the tigress. She was then translocated and released on the Eastern edge of Sunderbans.

The Fight for Survival ( English/24min/2005/MiniDV)

Producer: Captain Basant Kujur

Director: Poonam Kerketta

This film focuses on the man-animal conflict, especially the fight between the elephants and the villagers for their survival. The film crew has followed these conflicts in the most remote parts of Jharkhand for over the years.

About 250 people and many elephants have lost their lives in these conflicts. The film suggests a collective effort to grow community forests for the tribals to meet their need of medicinal plants. The denuded forests could be made evergreen once again and both man and elephants would get ample space and will not encroach into each others territory.

The Home Coming (English/15 mins/2005/DV)

Producer: Wildlife Trust of India

Director: Sujata Kulashreshta

With an enormous body that can grow as long as 18 meters, the whale shark is the largest living fish to be found in the world. Between November and April each year these sharks visit the coast of Gujarat . Till recently, it used to be gruesomely slaughtered for commercial purposes and the entire species suffered a threat to its survival. Spearheaded by the Wildlife Trust of India, a very creative campaign was devised to spread awareness and encourage the local communities to embrace this gentle creature as the ‘Pride of Gujarat'. This video is part of the ‘Save the Whale Shark Campaign'.

The Jaws of Death (Engish/30mins/2005/Beta)

Producer/Director: Gautam Saikia

Kaziranga National Park , the home of one horned rhinoceros is a world heritage site. The national Highway 37 runs across the park on its southern front. The north is bounded by river Brahmaputra . During monsoon flood water from Brahmaputra enters the park and inundates almost 80% of its land area. As the water rises, the animals begin to move towards south for shelter. However they need to cross the national highway before they can reach the high hilly terrain of Karbi Angiong situated adjacent to the park. The innocent animals often fall victim and get crushed by te speeding vehicles. This continues unabated.

The Policing Langur ( English/30 mins/2004/Digtal Beta, DVCAM)

Producer: Public Service Broadcasting Trust

Director: Ajay and Vijay Bedi

In India , monkeys freely wander through cities, towns and villages. But, in India 's capital, Delhi , a considerable population of destructive macaque monkeys plagues the city threatening people, raiding houses, schools, offices, hospitals and even airports. Paradoxically the only remedy that has been found in dealing with the monkey menace is to engage the services of bigger, powerful langur monkeys. The film captures the colorful vista of man-monkey relationship in India that stretches from mythology to the modern and makes for a captivating tale of veneration, toleration and co-existence.

The Killing Field ( English/24mins/2005/Digital Beta)

Producer: Public Service Broadcasting Trust

Director: Sanjoy Roy

The film explores the myth, the belief and lokk at the ritual aspect of the religious fair held annually at the Bhunkhal Kalika Devi Temple . Though religious practices celebrating any kind of mindless slaughter have long been abolished, at least on paper, animal sacrifice is a way of life in many parts of the country.

The Soul of the Sand-Camel ( English/21min/2002/Beta)

Producer/Director: Praveen K Jha

The film is about camels and their relationship with humans. In the deserts the camel plays an important role in helping man earn his livelihood. In Western Rajasthan , the camel and other domestic animals are decorated with the adornment known as Gorband which is made from conch shells, glass beads etc woven by women into a broad fringe. In Rajasthan Gorband is one of the very popular folk songs too.

The Last Flight ( English/24mins/2004/Beta)

Producer/Director: Nutan Manmohan

Vultures are dying. Almost 95% of their population has been wiped out in the last ten years. For four years, the film covered every investigation, traveling to all parts of India , following the trail of the mystery deaths. The culprit was finally nailed. It was Diclofenac, a veterinary drug. Diclofenac enters the vulture body as it consumes the carcass and causes death by kidney failure. This was a case of a species being wiped out by a pharmaceutical drug.

Producer: Amitha Jagan

Director: J. Ram

The film presents how different people react differently to animals and environment. It shows a frog escaping from a two- wheeler hit. The frog caught the rider's imagination instinctively. He made a turnaround, reached the frog, which was on the point of crossing the highway. Its attempt was thwarted. He just drove over it and killed it.

A boy who was witness to this entire event turned emotional. He abhorred the killer instinct in the two –wheeler driver. He became the saviour of frogs waiting to get across the highway.

The episode brings to the viewer a message. It helps them to have a glimpse of both sides of human kind.

A Tribute to Himalaya (Sanskrit/5mins/2004/Beta)

Producer/Director: Biyot Projna Tripathy

This film is mounted on the Sanskrit hymns from Kalidas's “Kumarsambhavam” depicting the glorious Himalayas . The hymn says – the unique creation of God; the Himalayas the most majestic of mountain ranges is a boon to my country. Its uniqueness, beauty, rivers, the rare trees and forest, give motivation to meditate and live. It provides us with rare herbs, medicinal plants and also provides romanticism to human lives. Holding the Indian Ocean , carrying Mother Earth, it stands still, being the lifeline of my land. Let us not destroy it. I salute the majestic Himalayas .

Dance with Hands held Tight ( Different Indian languages/60mins/2005/DV)

Producer: Earthcare Film

Director: Krishnendu Bose

86% of rural women are engaged in agriculture. In 92% of the rural households energy needs is met by firewood. The landless and the poor, mostly women among them, procure 90% of firewood from forest commons. The sea supports livelihoods of 400, 000 women just along the short 300kms of coast of Karnataka .

This intense relationship of women and natural resources across the country, throws up a whole range of issues and questions. Does the policy recognize this intensity? Do we value the knowledge systems, which may have developed among these women? How have women coped with coercion from State in their accessing of natural resources? The film tries to explore these questions.

Development at Gun Point ( English/36 min/2002/DV)

Producer/Director: K P Sasi

Globalisation in India has attracted global capital to invest and appropriate mineral resources in India . Activities of mining have generated problems of pollution, deforestation and displacement. ‘Development at Gunpoint'is a documentary film on the social and environmental impact of bauxite mining in Kashipur, Orissa and the subsequent struggle of the adivasis in the region.

Jal Hi Jeevan-Jal Sanrakshan ( Hindi/10mins/2005/beta)

People in Western Rajasthan still ahs traditions of fetching water from distances. Sand storms are a part of life of the people of Rajasthan. Nature has not provided water to this region. The people have found out very many ways of storing and conserving water. Tanks, lakes, nadis, step wells and khadin are the traditional source of water conservation. This is a film on measures taken by administration and local people for conserving the water which flows out from protected forest regions. In the absence of forest the environmental balance is disturbed and drought is the result. Thus, for protection of trees steps are taken well in advance for development of forest areas and fodder areas. This is a story of people working together in conserving water and forest.

Ladakh-The Land of Mystery (English/44mins/2003/Beta)

Producer/Director: Biyot Projna Tripathy

Ladakh-the land of many passes, is acivilization, aworld of its own. One of the World's greatest rivers Sindhu, is its lifeline. Nowhere in India , is man so dependent on nature. The film shows the beauty of the land, the clouds, the mountains, the rivers, wildlife and the beautiful wild flowers. How these flowers and mountains are touched by the wind of differing powers in nature, some rubbing them heavily, some touchig them softly, some brushing them lovingly.

The extraordinary Nubra valley and its beauty, the Pengyong-so Lake and its pain for the uprooted people of Tibet , are very much present in this film. Like the land , people are also beautiful and different. Buddhism is not only a religion for them it is a way of life. Being hidden inside the Himalayan ranges, with a unique way of living, are these people away from the complexities of the modern survival process? Is their trust and environment getting exploited?

Ladakh-A fragile Heritage ( English/21mins/2002/Beta)

Producer: WorldWideFund for Nature (WWF)

Director: Himanshu Malhotra

A documentation of conservation initiatives of WWF, India in the Ladakh region. The focus of the film is to highlight the main emphasis of the initiatives, which is on conservation of the selected high altitude wetlands of the Tibetan steppe region, which has been prioritized for special concern by the WWF network. The film introduces the viewers to the rich natural and cultural heritage of Ladakh, traversing through its scenic beauty and exploring the biodiversity values and the impending threats. While exploring the natural heritage the film also describes the various conservation strategies that have been adopted and are being implemented in co-operation with various stakeholders like the Army, the nomadic Changpas, the local administration, the schools, the tour operators etc. The film also highlights the bondage that the local community shares with the environment. It also highlights that WWF-India strongly believes that Ladakh essentially belongs to its people, and degradation can only be prevented by them and changes can only be initiated by them.

Producer/Director: Shekhar Dattatri

In the Western Ghats of Karnataka, right in the heart of the Kudremukh National Park , a huge iron ore mining operation has been destroying the hills for over twenty years. Every year heavy monsoon rains wash the loose soil on the mined slopes into the Bhadra river, leading to erosion and siltation on a massive scale. Floods caused by this siltation and erosion leave a thick sludge of iron ore on the fields of farmers cultivating along the banks of the Bhadra, greatly reducing th efertilty of the soil. While the hills have been stripped bare, a 100 metre deep valley has been filled to the brim with the tailings left over from iron ore extraction. This disastrous mining project is one of the worst examples of the rape of India 's wild areas.

River Taming Mantras ( Hindi and English/30 mins/2004/DV)

Producer: Moving Images

Director: Sanjay Barnela and Vasant Saberwal

Large parts of Eastern India are subject to annual flooding. Over the last 50 years the Government has built14,000 kilometers of embankments in an attempt to tame the rivers of eastern Uttar Pradesh, Bihar , Assam and Orissa. Despite this massive expenditure, losses due to flooding and the area that is now vulnerable to flooding has increased. 16% of Bihar is now permanently waterlogged, a direct consequence of the construction of embankments. River Taming Mantras explores the technological, economic and political rationale that underlies the adoption of such flood control measures. The film argues that because these rivers carry an enormous amount of silt load, they have enormous power. Attempts to control these rivers are unlikely to succeed. On the other hand, the vast sums spent on the building and maintenance of these embankments provides endless opportunities for the siphoning of funds. Flood relief is a milk cow no one wants to see go dry. Ultimately, it is the poor people who suffer-migrating to other states, towns and cities in search of food and water.

The Wailing Glaciers ( English/20min/2005/DV)

Producer/Director: Manmohan Singh

The documentary brings out the deteriorating condition of glaciers and rising threat to our lives which arise due to the lack of water availability. A startling study has shown that the glaciers are receding at the speed of 20 to 50 meters per year. Another matter of concern brought up by the international commission of snow and ice is that, by the year 2035 all the glaciers will disappear. A special effort has been made here to bring to notice the fact that with the retraction of the glaciers, “the glacial lakes are formed. When the water level in these lakes rise too high, it breaches the dam formed of ice and boulders, unleashing floods. The latest Sutlej-Beas floods in Kulu and Manli is one such example.

Let live…Snakes ( English/11 mins/2005/Mini DV)

Producer/Direcctor: B. Prem Anand

A god to some…a devil to some………..a creature to none….thus goes the story of snakes. It is both worshipped and punished. For ages, the symbolism of the snakes has remained a mystery. The documentary tries to portray the myths and facts about snakes.

Lost Wilderness ( English/16mins/2005/DV)

Producer/Director: Ginni Suri

This documentary highlights the key issue of man-animal conflict that the Sanjay Gandhi National Park faces. Popularly known as the Borivli National park , this nature reserve is one of the few national parks in the world to be surrounded by a metropolis.

The film is an effort to highlight the work of those who have been fighting to get back the rights of those innocent creatures who have lost their home, their habitat, their reason to live and also the legal tussle between few self centred, politically motivated people and the conservationists who are striving to get back the rights of the animals of the National Park.

Ode to a River ( English/7mins/2005/Digital Beta and Mini DV)

Producer: Department of Electronic media, Bangalore University

Director: Vrinda Samartha

‘Ode to a River' is a personal expression of loss of natural wealth, energy and beauty. The river symbolizes this expression. River is the hear of al life. All life forms live in harmony with each other. Man intervenes in this cycle. He becomes one with nature. He worships the river, and the river in turn blesses him. Then begins the more paradoxical period, the man's violation against the river. The river here is synonymous with all rivers and is an expression of people's struggle all around the world. Caught in this vicious cycle is man, both the destroyer and the victim.

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