Chilika – Jewel of Odisha

This is the story of a dying lake that was restored to life. At over 1000 sq km. Chilika Lake on India’s East Coast is the largest brackish water lagoon in Asia. It is also the largest wintering ground for waterfowl in the Indian subcontinent, attracting migrants from Europe, Central Asia and Siberia. However, by the late 1990s it had become a weed-infested, dying lake. Today, thanks for ecological restoration by the Chilika Development Authority, the lake once again became a reliable source of livelihood for local communities and a vibrant refuge for wildlife.

Chilika – Jewel of Odisha

Shekar Dattatri is a naturalist, conservationist and conservation filmmaker based in Chennai. His films have won numerous awards at national and international film festivals. He has also received several awards for his work in conservation filmmaking, including the Rolex Award for Enterprise (Associate Laureate, 2004), and the Edberg Award from the Rolf Edberg Foundation (2008). From 2007 to 2010 he served on the National Board for Wildlife.

Shekar Dattatri - Director (Chilika – Jewel of Odisha)

Timbaktu

When a small farming community in South India decided to switch from their decades-old practice of chemical agriculture to organic farming, little did they know that they were planting the seeds of a silent revolution. By showcasing the exemplary efforts of farmers of a tiny village in Andhra Pradesh, Timbaktu explores critical issues of food security and sovereignty. At its heart, Timbaktu looks at the relationship that a farmer shares with her land, her seeds and raises vital questions about food, the very essence of human life.

Timbaktu

Director : Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh

45 films from 19 cities nominated for the Woodpecker Film Festival & Forum - 2013

The Woodpecker Film Festival Directorate has announced the Nominations for 2013 edition of the film festival. A total of 45 films from different parts of the country have been nominated by a 20-member Nomination Jury headed by Mr Kunal Verma, Director Asia and Country Head (India), The Resource Alliance. With an enchanting variety of films focusing on such diverse themes like environment, religion & culture, children, health and livelihoods, the festival promises to be an infotainment extravaganza for film lovers in the country.

Scheduled from Dec 19-21, the film festival and forum, is an initiative of New Delhi based CMSR foundation and will be organised at the India Habitat Centre (IHC).

Chilika - Jewel of Odisha - Shekar Dattatri

A Dance To Forget - Rita Banerji

Faith Revisited - Ishani K. Dutta

FIRAAQ - A Keen Desire - Prachi Chhabra and Apoorva Paliwal

Jal Dindi - An Experience - Amit Bane

Gaur In My Garden - Rita Banerji

An overview of the Nominated Films:

Out of the 45 nominated films, 14 are from Maharashtra, 13 from Delhi, 4 from Kerala , 3 from West Bengal, 2 each from Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, and Odisha and 1 entry from Karnataka, Haryana, Assam, Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. While announcing the nominations, Jury chairperson, Mr Kunal Verma, said , “As Indian cinema proudly celebrates its 100 years, nothing could be a greater joy than to celebrate the rich culture of cinema making and the diverse topics which are being showcased. In this 100th year of Indian Cinema, Woodpecker film festival and forum is a humble tribute to the rich mélange of visual creativity in the country. For the 2013 edition of the festival, the organisers picked up some of the most pertinent themes like education, environment, health, gender and children to be showcased. The large number of entries received from all the corners of the country, is itself an overwhelming vindication of the popularity of the concept for a film festival on socially important themes.”

Prominent filmmakers whose films have got nominated for this year’s festival include Shekar Dattatri, Ishani k Dutta, Rita Banerji, Suresh Elamon and Snehasis Das. At the same time, a lot of youngsters have also got an opportunity to screen their films in the festival. 15 student films have been chosen for screening in the festival. These films have been made by students from TISS, SRM University, Whistling Woods International School of Filmmaking, NIFT etc.

The festival has an interesting line-up of films to watch which includes Chilika - Jewel of Odisha, The Story of Coal, Bonding With Birds, The Forest Man of India, Breaking The Silence, and several other popular films.

Woodpecker Film Festival 2013

The Woodpecker Film Festival and Forum

The Woodpecker Film Festival and Forum (WFF) is a thematic film festival. The first edition of the festival will be organised from Dec 19-21, 2013 at New Delhi.

WFF aims not only to showcase the rich melange of visual creativity in the film industry but also promote films, documentaries and advertisements focusing on socially pertinent themes like education, environment, health, gender and children through this film festival. 

A major attraction of the film festival would be forum activities. Seminars, conferences, workshops, pitching sessions and master classes to help filmmakers and film enthusiasts explore emerging technologies, network with professional associates, pitch ideas to broadcasters, hone their film making skills and also know more about the industry.

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