While it’s easy to fall into nihilism about the environmental crisis, as corporations and governments bigger and more powerful than us go back and forth on environmental action, individuals and communities across the world are deciding that enough is enough and taking charge of their environment. It is this spirit of resilience that All Living Things Environmental Film Festival (ALT EFF) is set to showcase with over 86 films from 39 countries to be screened across Indian cities, kicking off with a two-day event in Bengaluru. “You won’t find films that are the classic David Attenborough-style nature documentaries here. We are looking for new perspectives, hyperlocal voices, under-represented geographies, films that provide audiences with an insight into the scale and nuance of this globally unprecedented change in the environment,” says the festival’s founder Kunal Khanna, adding, “When we watch these films, there’s a sense of hope, direction, and inspiration to make change.”
This weekend, Bengalureans can see films being screened along with panel discussions and live performances, ‘Beware of Plastic Asura: A Yakshagana performance’ being one. A major highlight will be a set of three Australian films on show through a collaboration with the Australian Consulate in Bengaluru. Khanna elaborates, “One film, Ngarridurndeng Kured, is about the indigenous culture of Australia, the longest living culture in the world that has continued to live in the same traditional ways for over 30,000 years now and the implications of that in the modern world.” Another, titled Future Council follows eight kids on a road trip across Europe to meet with powerful leaders and find solutions to our greatest ecological challenges. An interesting feature will be an immersive installation that allows visitors to experience the feeling of being in Australia’s forests.
Indian films too, in languages from Kannada, Marwadi, and Bengali to Garo and Khasi, will be screened, many of which are India premieres. Other highlights include Mushroom Keepers, exploring the relationship indigenous people in Meghalaya share with the fungi and Miyazaki – Spirit of Nature about Studio Ghibli filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki’s depiction of nature in his films.