Ever since Alia Bhatt’s production house Eternal Sunshine Productions came on-board the All Living Things — Environmental Film Festival (ALT EFF) with the actor lending her support as an advocate, the festival which is in its fourth year now has gained even more momentum. The environment-cinema based festival focusses on using cinema as a medium to engage in conversations around nature, environment and climate change and this year, they have an impressive jury which has chosen around 60 films from across 50 countries to be showcased between December 1 and 10 in various cities. The jury this year comprises Oscar-winning filmmaker Kartiki Gonsalves, co-originator of permaculture David Holmgren, Satyajit Bhatkal, director of Aamir Khan’s show Satyamev Jayate and renowned environmental filmmaker Dr Mike Pandey.
The movies are spread across different categories, including International Feature Films, International Short Films, Indian Feature Films, Indian Short Films, Student Films and Animation Films. Says jury member Gonsalves, “I’m very impressed with the student category. For me, they kind of ranked over some of the other categories that we’ve watched. It’s promising because we’re looking at the next generation of people coming into the world of documentary, which is amazing. There’s a certain sense of exploration with all of these projects.”
Here's a glimpse of some of the most interesting films to watch at the festival:
Deep Rising
The Hollywood Reporter has called it “A visual whiplash” while Deadline has mentioned it as “an urgent documentary”. Director Matthieu Rytz’s one-and-a-half-hour-long documentary takes a look at the vital relationship between the deep sea and sustaining life on Earth. The Official Selection at the Sundance Film Festival 2023, Deep Rising has been produced and narrated by Aquaman star Jason Momoa. The documentary exposes the inner workings of the International Seabed Authority which is tasked with overseeing nearly half our planet’s surface on the ocean floors and asks vital questions about the need to develop resources for our growing energy demands.
We Are Guardians
Renowned actor and environment activist Leonardo DiCaprio and Academy Award winner Fisher Stevens’ production We Are Guardians will have its India premiere at the festival. Winner of several awards at prominent film festivals, the documentary follows indigenous forest guardian Marçal Guajajara and activist Puyr Tembé in the Amazon Rainforest as they fight to protect their territories from deforestation. Through intimate, character focused storytelling, the film brings the issues to the forefront — from the science of the Amazon Rainforest and its pivotal role in our global climate stability to the economic drivers of deforestation, the impact of which ripples out far beyond the boundaries of the Amazon itself.
Pleistocene Park
Directed by Luke Griswold-Tergis, Pleistocene Park follows Russian geophysicist Sergey Zimov and his son Nikita who are gathering large woolly beasts and transporting them to the most remote corner of Siberia. Their goal is to restore the Ice Age “mammoth steppe” ecosystem and avoid a catastrophic feedback loop leading to runaway global warming. In a published interview, the director has said, “It’s uncertain whether the idea will work, it’s uncertain whether they can pull it off, and even then, it will only address a portion of climate change. But the effort is heroic and it shows that if one family in the middle of the Siberian wilderness is doing this, we can start doing something about climate change.
Patrick and the Whale
Employing awe-inspiring underwater footage, Patrick and The Whale follows Patrick Dykstra as he travels to Dominica and encounters a female sperm whale he has named Dolores. He explores the fascinating nature of the sperm whale, attempting to shine a light on its intelligence and complexity, as well as highlighting its current and past relationship with humankind.
Dear Future Children
The German-British-Austrian production directed by Franz Bohm follows activists on the protests in Hong Kong against the Beijing-influenced administration under Carrie Lam, the protests in Chile against social inequality in the country and in Uganda at the local Fridays for Future protests and actions for climate justice. In the director’s note, Bohm has said that Dear Future Children will capture all the energy, anger and ingenuity of the young activists who feel ignored and the type of impact their actions have had around the world.
Against The Tide
Director Sarvnik Kaur brings to life the lives of two indigenous Koli fishermen from Mumbai who are driven to desperation by a dying sea. The nominee of the Grand Jury Prize Verite winner at Sundance 2023, Against the Tide has been described as ‘breathtaking’ by The New York Times which has mentioned that ‘the film finds beauty, simply, in perspective’.
The Leopard’s Tribe
The human-animal conflict comes to the fore in Miriam Chandy Menacherry’s 40-minutes documentary The Leopard’s Tribe. It documents the protests against the Aarey Metro car shed project in Mumbai where authorities plan to axe thousands of trees to expand a mass transit system. Home to the 10,000-strong Warli tribe, a scuffle unfolds to protect the forest and the leopard the tribe worships.
Older Than Trees
Field biologist James Lea attempts to save sharks from the ever-increasing demand for shark meat in this compelling 20-minute short directed by Pippa Ehrlich. It is a film about hope for the future of sharks and rays. It speaks to the captivating, enigmatic nature of sharks, but also the fragility of their crucial place in our oceans, despite millennia of stability. The loss of a deep personal connection to individual sharks spurs the desire to make a difference, taking a path of science towards conservation.
ALT EFF 2023 is on from December 1 to 10, 2023. Tickets available on Paytm Insider. Visit www.alteff.in for details on venues and timings.
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