'Conservation is a complex issue'

Facing the biggest odds and stumbling blocks, they are the kind of filmmakers who could easily be branded activists. But they are not. What they prefer to do is to capture ground realities through the audio-visual medium in order to not only document them but also spread the word among all those who are either willing to listen and see or even participate in the process of transformation.

Vatavaran film festival in New Delhi/ Photo credit: Huned Contractor

For those who have all along assumed that documentary films do not really create any impact, the filmmakers and the ones who create platforms for the screening of their films will counter this with enough arguments and justifications to prove otherwise.

This then was what happened during a discussion among award-winning environment and wildlife filmmakers Krishnendu Bose, Gurmeet Sapal and P.N. Vasanti, Director, CMS India, the organisers of the festival.

Excerpts from the dialogue:

Do documentary films impact government polices?

P. N. Vasanti: They certainly do. In fact, various instances can be cited of how documentary films have helped highlight issues that were otherwise unknown to the public and even to the government agencies.

For example, a film made on how electronic waste brought from developed countries was being dumped in Goa led to the formation of the e-waste policy which has now made such activities illegal. Also, a film made on the Red Pandas, an elusive species, led to initiating preservation efforts and bringing the Red Pandas on the list of endangered animals.

In another instance, a film on how mining in Kerala was turning out to be a health hazard led to the state government issuing a policy to safeguard interests of the public residing in areas near such mining sites.

How do documentaries influence the viewers?

Krishnendu Bose: In a democratic country like India, documentaries can freely show the truth as it exists and this helps viewers understand issues that otherwise remain hidden.

Krishnendu Bose in action/ Photo credit: Huned Contractor/ OWSA

In many cases, if the issue is sensitive enough and likely to affect a huge group of people, documentaries help in the creation of forums and public opinion and this can, in turn, put pressure on the government and the judiciary to enact laws or regulations to put an end to a particular problem.

Documentaries satisfy our basic demand for information without any bias. They can be considered as long-term investments in influencing decisions. Essentially, such films trigger off thought processes and that is important to let opinions surface.

For example, a film made on the slum-dwellers of Delhi created a whole lot of awareness among people who had never been inside a slum. More importantly, documentaries connect people from across the country.

How can children be made aware of environmental issues?

P. N. Vasanti: Showing documentary films in schools and colleges helps in creating awareness among children about issues that they may not even bother to read about in newspapers.

CMS Vatavaran, for example, took the lead this year in teaching groups of school children from New Delhi the process of making a wildlife film. They were taken to a zoo and shown how to use the camera and then edit the film as also how to add music and graphics.

Thanks to international television channels like National Geographic, Animal Planet and Discovery, children know much more about what’s happening on the environmental front across the globe. They are aware of things like climate change and global warming.

Can’t feature films be used to spread the message of environment conservation?

Gurmeet Sapal: Considering that feature films have a wider reach than documentaries, attempts are being made to insert messages about the need to protect our environment. One such film is Jor Lagake Haiyya made by Girish Joshi.

It is about how a group of children, with the help of a homeless man, overcome all sorts of obstacles to save a tree from being razed by a money-minded construction giant and his contractor.

Their quest mirrors the apathy of contemporary society to such types of environmental issues. Through non-stop action, comedy and adventure, the children finally realise what it takes to stand their ground in the battle against concrete.

How does a film festival like Vatavaran help?

P. N. Vasanti: The Vatavaran Film Festival reaches out in two ways.

One, it is not restricted to Delhi alone but is a travelling film festival that goes to other cities in India as also abroad so that a maximum number of people get exposed to environmental issues.

Two, it is the only mega festival of its kind that brings together the works of many documentary filmmakers, both national and international.

This year, for instance, a total of 106 films were screened, which included 33 from foreign countries.

Are Indian documentaries at par with international ones?

Krishnendu Bose: Now, they are, both in terms of presentation of content and technical parameters. This is one reason why leading foreign television channels are now accepting Indian documentaries as also commissioning projects to Indian filmmakers.

Moreover, Indian documentaries are unique because most of them expose the ugly truth.

For example, our films on tigers focus on the issues of poaching and how deforestation is leading them to turn into man-eaters while films on tigers made by Animal Planet or other such channels focus only on the habitats and habits of tigers, captured through beautiful images.

Most of the time there is no real story to be told and such films are driven only by visual content.

How well are our filmmakers acquainted with the definition of conservation?

Gurmeet Sapal: Conservation is a complex issue. But our filmmakers have always done a lot of research on whichever topic they have covered and they understand the fact that the definition of conservation can differ from level to level.

Filmmaker Gurmeet Sapal/ Photo credit: Huned Contractor/ OWSA

Bureaucrats at the senior level would rather talk and debate and draft policies about the concerned issues and that’s their way of dealing with conservation while tribals will go ahead and actually conserve forests through sacred groves.

At the same time, there is this raging debate between development and conservation. To give you an example, cutting trees is not bad but it should not be done in a manner that tips the ecological balance.