Competition on Films on Environmental Issues: This section will feature Films made on Environmental Issues. The films will compete for “Vasudha Award”, which is a Cash Prize of Rs. 3,00,000 (USD 6,000 approx) .

Environmental Competition

Focus on Rivers
India, 2009, 28mins
Director: Nalini Elvino De Sousa
Producer: Nalini Elvino De Sousa
Cinematographer: Jude Fernandes
Cast: Jude Fernandes
This documentary illustrates the importance of rivers to keep the heart of Goa beating.

Green
India, 2008, 12mins
Director: Bhaskar Jyoti Das
Producer: Albert E. Grant
Cinematographer: Mrinal Kalita
Cast: Gitashree
The biggest threat to the world is global warming. If we save trees then we can save the world… Trees have life and their existence is essential for us and our future generations.

Journey To The Forest
Germany, 2008, 7mins
Director: Jorn Staeger
Producer: Jorn Staeger
Cinematographer: Jorn Staeger
A Poetic exploration of a typical German landscape, the forest.

Meltdown in Tibet
Canada, 2009, 12mins
Director: Michael Buckley
Producer: Michael Buckley
Using undercover footage and stills, Meltdown in Tibet blows the lid off China’s huge and potentially catastrophic dam-building projects in Tibet. The film raises disturbing questions about a looming eco-disaster - involving dwindling water resources of the Tibetan plateau. The major rivers of Tibet are at risk from rapidly receding glaciers due to climate change and from large-scale damming and diversion, due to Chinese engineering projects. Tibetan nomads are being shifted off their grassland habitat to make way for these projects.

Peace Of Mind Guaranteed
India, 2009, 7mins
Director: Rajeev Shinde
Producer: Rajesh R. Pednekar
Cinematographer: Rajeev Shinde
Cast: Rajesh R. Pednekar
In the name of progress and development, human beings are destroying their own abode without realising that effectively, they are destroying their own existence.

Underground Inferno
India, 2008, 29mins
Director: Sanjeev Sivan, Umesh Agarval
Producer: Umesh Aggarwal
Cinematographer: Hemant Bhalla
Coalmine fires are a global menace. Across the globe, wherever there are coalmines, there are fires - They threaten human lives, infrastructure, and property. They endanger our environment add to the global warming.

The Jury Members for the Environmental Competition Section are;

• Mr. Mike Pandey (Environmental Jury),
• Ms. Lucia Rikaki ,
• Ms. Naira Margaryan .

Award Winner for “Vasudha Award” Environmental Competition

The Film Selected for “Vasudha Award” for the for the best film on Environmental Issues is Underground inferno by Sanjeev Sivan and Umesh Aggarwal and Produced by News and Entertainment Television (NET), India.

Jury Citation for “Underground inferno”:

For highlighting in a very impressive manner with the creative use of new cinema technologies and an extremely vivid narrative ,the global menace many countries face worldwide due to the phenomenon of coalmine fires .These fires not only violently threaten human lives and destroy infrastructures but they also represent one of the great contributors effecting global warming .The film tackles the issue globally with capturing storytelling that engages the audience and offers an important insight to this vital environmental threat

The Film Selected for “Vasudha Award” for the for the best film on Environmental Issues is Meltdown in Tibet by Michael Buckley and Produced by Wild Yak Films, Canada.

Jury Citation for “Meltdown in Tibet”

For his courage and persistence in shedding light to one of the major environmental issues namely the potential catastrophic dam building projects in Tibet. A good example of good research and daring independent filmmaking which takes the risk of adopting the role of the active citizen-filmmaker and with is committed approach, brings light to the enormous risks involved in short term development activities engaged by governments and major international financial players which only harm the worlds sustainability.