The two-day Environmental Film Festival on 11-12 September jointly hosted by UK-based Sanskruti Centre for Cultural Excellence and India-based TERRE Policy Centre screened short films which had the audience thought-provoked. Sponsored by JSW Times of India Earth care Initiative and supported by Sunmark Industries in the UK, the event screened films showing illegal poaching and trading in endangered and other wildlife species and products and how they are almost on the brink of extinction.
The festival was inaugurated by symbolic lighting of the lamp and watering the plant by Baroness Verma, UK Minister for Energy and Climate Change, joined by Dr S.K Singh from the High Commission of India, Dr Vinitaa Apte from TERRE Policy Centre and Ragasudha Vinjamuri of Sanskruti Centre for Cultural Excellence. After a welcome song by a group of young children and reading the message of Mr Shende, former Director of the United Nations Environment Program, the video message by Prakash Javadekar, Minister for Environment, Forests and Climate Change was relayed. Reiterating on the need for incorporating eco-friendly measures, he congratulated Sanskruti and TERRE for taking initiative of bringing more awareness of eco-crimes to the UK audiences through the film festival. Dr S.K Singh from the High Commission of India spoke about climate change issues.
Baroness Verma delivered her powerful message to the community, suggested simple measures in daily lives for mitigating larger impacts of global warming and warned of consequences future generations may face if timely action was not taken. Sushil Rapatwar, former President of Maharashtra Mandal London delivered the vote of thanks. Two films were shown on the inaugural day. Animated film Ozzy Ozone jointly produced by UNEP and TERRE explaining the threats to the ozone layer and Himalayan Meltdown produced by UNDP which showed the increasing danger to the lives of people in India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and China due to the melting of Himalayan ice causing flooding, unpredictable rains and extreme climate patterns. On 12th September, films produced jointly with the British Council were screened showing human interference and illegal actions that endanger Butterflies, Leopards, Elephants, Turtles, Tigers, Bears and Coral Reefs. Five Gyres, a film on plastic pollution in Atlantic Ocean was also screened.
