Ever since the All Living Things Environmental Film Festival (ALT EFF) launched as a digital-only event five years ago, it has come a long way. This year’s edition not only continues to take climate-forward stories to the fore, but has several firsts as a part of its schedule.
ALT EFF 2024 will be hosting 110-plus screenings across 20 states, between November 22 and December 8, and over 700 screenings will be held in schools across India. Festival director Kunal Khanna, says, “We are launching ALT EFF Voices, which is a new spoken word platform dedicated to the environment, and selected speakers will deliver their spoken word during the festival alongside film screenings.”
A still from German short film Crying Glacier by Lutz Stautner
| Photo Credit:
Philipp Becker
The festival — that has been in the works for the last seven months — also goes international this year with screenings planned in Costa Rica, Nepal, Chile, USA, Ireland and Australia. Closer home, films will reach the Andamans (in partnership with Dakshin Foundation), Srinagar (in partnership with the Wildlife Conservation Fund), rural Odisha (in partnership with Gram Vikas) and Tilonia and Singla (Rajasthan) in partnership with Barefoot College in the Northeast, among others.
A still from Ishani K Dutta’s Jamna – The River Story
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
Kunal explains how the 72-film programme at ALT EFF 2024 highlights “the rapidly changing world we live in and our impact on the same”. Broadly, the films are themed on Our Fellow Earthlings, Reflections in a Changing World, Women-led Narratives, Forced to Adapt, among others. “As we continue to experience the consequences of climate collapse, biodiversity loss, and a breakdown of the planetary systems, filmmakers, and storytellers are increasingly making these subjects a part of the tales they chose to tell,” says Kunal, adding, “This means increasingly refined films are coming our way making the final cut more challenging, which is a good challenge to have.”
Stubble – The Farmer’s Bane by Shaz Syed explores the severe air pollution crisis in northern India
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
In the India line-up, documentaries include Ishani K Dutta’s Jamna – The River Story, a 38-minute film narrated by a local boatman, that takes an in-depth look at how historical neglect and current mismanagement have contributed to the river Yamuna’s decline; Stubble – The Farmer’s Bane by Shaz Syed that explores the severe air pollution crisis in northern India, particularly in Punjab, caused by stubble burning, among others. Short films include The Feast/Virundhu by Rishi Chandra about a fisherwoman who hosts a grand meal for a powerful local politician and serves an extraordinary secret dish with the potential to rejuvenate a dying lake; the animated Gutter Ki Machli by Natasha Sharma that sheds light on the climate change struggles of residents in Govandi, a marginalised resettlement colony in Mumbai, to name a few.
A still from Palestinian film Foragers by Jumana Manna
| Photo Credit:
Alima de Graaf
Another new category launching this year is Environmental Journalism. Kunal says this was introduced to “highlight, encourage and recognise the high calibre of environmental journalism films”. He says these films have an arc that is investigative, and present the facts from all perspectives so the audience can get a complete understanding of the issue at hand. The team received 31 submissions in this category and the final programme comprises eight films, including Camels Of The Sea, In Search Of Grass, among others from India.
A still from Chitrangada Choudhury’s film, Seed Stories
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
International features comprise Palestinian film Foragers by Jumana Manna that depicts the drama around the practice of foraging for wild edible plants in the region; Lutz Stautner’s German short film Crying Glacier where sound artist Ludwig Berger embarks on a journey to the Morteratsch Glacier in the Swiss Alps, and captures the profound sounds of a glacier in distress; French animated short The Forest Of The Honey Bees by Erwan Le Gal that tells the story of a beekeeper living on the picturesque island of Ouessant in Brittany, France; among several others.
ALTEFF 2024 will be held from November 22 to December 8. For details, visit alteff.in/
Published – November 20, 2024 03:53 pm IST
The Hindu Weekend
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