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Development at Gun Point
(English/36 min/2002/DV)
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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.
Producer/Director: K P Sasi
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Development flows from the barrel of a Gun
(Hindi with English subtitiles/54min/2003/SVHS edited in DV)
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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.
Producer: Meghnath Akhra
Director: Biju Toppo
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Devta Activists
(Hindi and English/28min/2005/DV)
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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.
Producer: Public Service Broadcasting Trust(PSBT)
Director: Sanjay Barnela
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Devta Activists, Sanjay Barnela
30min
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An exploration of the role of traditional deities (devtas) belonging to the Kullu valley in conservation and fight for access to forest resources. How local traditions negotiate with contemporary discourse of scientific conservation and national development
Enquiries
THE PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING TRUST
P O Box 3264, Nizamuddin East
New Delhi-110 013 Tel: 91-11-24355941
Fax: 24353825
Email: info@psbt.org
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Doodhatoli
Hindi/31min 26sec/ 2003
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Commissioned by: Council for Advancement of Prople’s Action & Rural Technology (CAPART).
Doodhatoli is the story of the village women of Pauri Garwhal, who over the years have organized themselves to protect the local forests. The remarkable thing about this effort is that though initially the inspiration came from Sachidanand Bharti, a local social
worker, the movement is now being entirely led and managed by the local women themselves. Most of the women who are involved in this movement are illiterate peasant women. They are primarily being guided by their own lived experience and traditional wisdom
about the local resources and environment.
Producer: K. Bikram Singh, Cine Arts India
Enquiries:
CAPART, India habitat Centre,
Zone V A, 2nd Floor
Lodi Road, New Delhi-110003
Email: capart@caparthq.delhi.nic.in
Fax: 91-11-24648607/24625822
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Dui Paatan ke Beech Mein (Between The Devil and The Deep River)
Hindi/65mins/1999
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Shot extensively in North Bihar, this film looks at the development models chosen and implemented, often by force, that have destroyed the livelihood of millions of people. Over the years, with each consequent flood, people developed their own coping mechanisms,
which soon became integral to their culture. Man-made floods and water logging over vast agriculture land has pauperized the people of Bihar. All this has been done to “protect people from floods”!
Producer: Arvind Sinha
Enquiries:
Arvind Sinha
17-A, Anil Roy Road Calcutta 700 029
Tel: 91-33-4666242
Fax: 91-33-2480724
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echoes from the jungles
(Hindi/24min)
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It took three years to produce Echoes from the Jungles, a pioneering thirteen part serial about India's endangered wildlife. In this time, Naresh and Rajesh Bedi traveled extensively through the length and breadth of India from high icy mountains to steaming
mangrove swamps, from scorching boundless deserts to to misty evergreen forests. This monumental effort gave utterance to the beauty and mystery of India's wildlife and her wildernesses. Each episode of 'Echoes from the Jungles' excels the last in its striking
portrayal of the difficulties and uncertainties faced in the shooting of some of the most endangered wild animals of the sub-continent.
Director: Naresh Bedi
Enquiries:
Bedi Films/ Bedi Films Visuals
E 19 Rajouri Garden,
New Delhi 110027,
India.
Tel: 011 5441864, 011 5439939
Fax: 011-543 0850
Email: bedifilms@vsnl.com
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eden of hope
(English) 25 min.
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A film on the history and development of Mumbai. The film skillfully provides a vision about different phases of Mumbai. It projects the imbalance in nature with rising towers of civilization and influx of people in millions. The problems of Mumbai are
many and the solutions to these are few. For all the destruction of natural wealth the city has only one saviour- Sanjay Gandhi National Park, the green lung of Mumbai. This park, though plundered for need and greed, is in constant conflict with the forces
of destruction. It is high time to reflect on development at what cost. Can you imagine Mumbai without this green lung? Yes, development we need, but it should be sustainable. This is the message of the film.
Producer:Bombay Natural History Society
Enquiries: .BNHS ,Hornbill House,
Dr.Salim Ali Chowk
Shahid Bhagat Singh Road,
Mumbai 400023
Tel: 91 22 2821811
E-mail: bnhs@bom4.vsnl.net.in
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Einthinayude Naalvazhikal
(Malayalam/63min/2000/beta)
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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.
Producer: Department of Forests and Wildlife, Government of Kerala, Trivandrum
Director: E. Unnikrishnan
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Elephant - God Or Destroyer , Krishnendu Bose
30 min
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A film on the life and times of the Indian elephants
Enquiries
THE PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING TRUST
P O Box 3264, Nizamuddin East
New Delhi-110 013 Tel: 91-11-24355941
Fax: 24353825
Email: info@psbt.org
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Elephant-God or Destroyer
(English/30min/2005/DV)
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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.
Producer: Public Service broadcasting Trust
Director: Krishnendu Bose
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Fish Tales
30 min./ 1997
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A film on sustainable development, explores developmental and environmental issues, by focusing on traditional fishery in Kerala. Thirty years of top- down development policies have failed to address the needs of fisher folk and their special relationship
with the sea. Today, fishing communities are worse off than before, faced with the alarming crisis of declining fish stocks. 'Fish Tales' is cautionary-it underlines the need to initiate development policies that are sustainable and beneficial to the communities
involved.
Directors: Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam
Enquiries:
Foundation for Universal Responsibility
UGF, Zone 4A, India Habitat Centre,
Lodi Road New Delhi 110003
Tel: 91 11 4648450
Fax: 91 11 4648451
E-mail: furhhd@nda.vsnl.net.in
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Freedom
Multiple Indian Languages/EST/58mins/2001
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FREEDOM…! Is a documentary film about the protection and conservation of natural resources, about communities resisting an onslaught on their livelihoods, about democracy, profit and the sound of the rain. In a journey that traverses Assam, Bihar, Chattisgarh
, Orissa , Gujarat and other states in India, the film Freedom documents and presents insights into many different attempts of local people in their struggle to protect and control natural resources.
Producer: Amar Kanwar (A K Productions)
Enquiries:
A K productions, N-14A, Saket
New Delhi-110017
Email: amarvg@del3.vsnl.net.in
Tel: 91-11-26516088/26513356
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Healers For All Reasons, Vijay S. Jodha
30 min
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The film dwells on how the likes of Rehmat “Gopal Bapa” Khan, who rely on traditional and eco-friendly methods to heal animals, humans and even plants, are an embodiment of Gandhian philosophy with respect for biodiversity and communal harmony at the grassroots
in rural Gujarat.
Enquiries
THE PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING TRUST
P O Box 3264, Nizamuddin East
New Delhi-110 013 Tel: 91-11-24355941
Fax: 24353825
Email: info@psbt.org
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Healers or All Reasons
(English, Hindi and Gujarati/28mins/2005/DV)
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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.
Producer: Public Service Broadcasting Trust (PSBT)
Director: Vijay S Jodha
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Honey Hunters of the Blue Mountains
(English/33 min.)
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One of the last havens of untouched forestland-the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve in south India, is home to the deadly rock bee the 'apis dorsata'. Just before the monsoon, the hunter gatherer Kurumba tribals of the Nilgiris prepare for their yearly harvest
of honey, scaling precipitous cliffs to collect the treasure of the wild 'apis dorsata'. Dramatic sequence of honey gathering off 300-foot cliff leave you spellbound by their agility and fearlessness. The collector spiders down the sheer cliffs supported by
a ladder woven out of forest vine. As filmmakers the biggest challenge was to capture this sequence effectively, since te Kurumbas would not permit outsiders to suspend themselves on their chosen cliffs. The only way to get extraordinary angles was to climb
atop and reach over the edge of the cliffs or take position directly below the hives. Rigorous, as each time the crew were right in the midst of the bee storm!
Director: Mike H. Pandey
Enquiries:
Riverbank Studios,
Chirag Enclave
New Delhi-110048
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Hunting Down Water
English/EST/32mins/2003
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These things look good only on television… things about economy and saving water and all that” say Nidhi and Madhur looking fresh after a rollicking rain dance party. Or take the case of Somabhai Patel of Memna village in Gujarat who owns 14 borewells
on his agricultural land, “The water used to be at 100 feet below the ground just a few years ago, now it has gone down to 500 feet”. Quotes that reinforce the fact that the present water crisis is largely a crisis of our own making. It is not about failing
monsoons or the fact that parts of India are naturally dry. Water is diverted from the rural countryside to meet the unending needs of India’s urban population – not just for drinking, but also, to wash cars, fill swimming pools, to water amusement parks or
simply to flush. The Municipal Commissioner of Mumbai reveals startling facts to bear this out The facts are mind boggling!
Hunting Down Water studies the dynamics of this man-made crisis.
Producer: Moving Images
Enquiries:
Moving Images
D-III/3425, Vasant Kunj
New Delhi-110070
Email: moving@vsnl.com
Tel: 91-11-26893384/4318048
Fax: 91-11-26124317
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In Troubled Waters
English/16mins/2003
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The film tells the story of the coral reefs of the Lakshadweep islands. It explains how this vital ecosystem came into being and traces the growth and diversity of the reef and the factors that contribute to its health and well-being. The film also shows
how close this ancient ecosystem came to being totally destroyed in 1998 and the reasons for this devastation. The film ends with the current state of the reef, how it is regenerating, its importance to the world and the paramount need to protect it. The main
thrust of the film is to show how all of nature is inter-connected and inter-dependent. Man is a vital part of the natural world and any destruction of the environment or any other living species will have serious consequences for all of us, perhaps threatening
our very existence. The film enjoins all people to live in a manner that will help to conserve and safeguard the world’s natural resources for the future of mankind
Producer: Mitali Dutt Kakar, Reef Watch Marine Conservation
Enquiries:
Email: reefwatch@usa.net
Tel: 91-22-30913882/26518206
Fax: 91-22-26518209
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Indian Leopards - The Killing Fields
(English/53min/2003/Beta, DV & mini DV)
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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.
Producer/Director: Praveen Singh
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Inside Ladakh - Chang Thang
29 min, 1997
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Chang Thang plateaux situated near the Tibetan border about 11,500 ft above sea level is famous for pashmina or the world renowned Cahmere wool, produced from a particular kind of goat domesticated by the nomadic herdsmen. Or Changpas. Their lives entirely
revolve around their herds of goats and they keep moving from highland to highland in search of greener pastures for their cattle. Although pashmina is Ladakh's most important product, almost nothing is known about the nomadic lifestyle of the Changpas or
about their system of rearing the animals or about the amazing variety of grasses which provide nourishment to them.
Directors: Iffat Fatima, Yousuf Saeed
Enquiries:
Doordarshan 3,
Vigyan Bhavan Annexe,
New Delhi, 110001.
Ph: 91 11 3022132
Fax: 91 11 3022135.
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Invocations to the Mountain Goddess
(English/64 min/2004/beta)
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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.
Producer/Director: Christopher Rego
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it's our future too
(English) 30 min
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A film on conservation covering three major protected areas; Sanjay Gandhi National Park of Mumbai, Keoladeo National Park of Bharatpur and Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary of Tamil Nadu. The film covers natural beauty of each protected area as well as the
area specific problems like fuel wood collection, cattle grazing and crop raiding by elephants. It is also an introduction to Bombay Natural History Society and its activities under Conservation education Project The aim of the film is to create awareness
about the urgent nee for conservation.
Producer:Bombay Natural History Society
Enquiries: .BNHS ,Hornbill House,
Dr.Salim Ali Chowk
Shahid Bhagat Singh Road,
Mumbai 400023
Tel: 91 22 2821811
E-mail: bnhs@bom4.vsnl.net.in
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Jal Hi Jeevan - Jal Sanrakshan
(Hindi/10mins/2005/beta)
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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.
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Jal, Jungle Aur Jeevan
(Hindi/12min/2005/Beta)
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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.
Producer: Educational Multimedia Research Centre (EMMRC), Jodhpur
Director: Manohar Lalas
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Jalam: Jeevante Amruthu (Water – The Elixir of Life)
Malayalam/EST/13mins 45secs/2001
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Kerala, in the southwest corner of India, is a land where nature has been at her splendorous best. A plentitude of natural wealth has perhaps left the Malayalee too complacent, indifferent and ignorant of the portends of the catastrophe looming before
him. Deforestation & landfills have affected water percolation, resulting in uncharacteristic droughts. The chemical pollution has affected coastal life and the ocean wealth. We have to change our ways and preserve this precious resource.
Producer/Director: Nature Trust/Mr. Mahesh
Enquiries:
Kerala Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency
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