A documentary film capturing the moving story of redemption of a reformed poacher and another on water conservation, both set in the North-East of India, bagged awards at the annual TVe Global Sustainability Film Awards in London this week.
‘Bad Blood’ by award-winning documentary filmmaker Naman Govil for Vice News, which tells the story of a former rhinoceros killer who has dedicated his life to protecting animals in Assam, won the Greener Living award. The second Indian winner, ‘Water for Life’ by Green Hub, bagged the Trustee Choice award for its powerful message of water preservation.
Surina Narula, Indian-origin philanthropist and founder of the awards, said: “We had more than 70 films from 20 countries this year and the quality of the films participating in these awards is a matter of great satisfaction, as this indicates the success we have had in getting more organisations and individuals to actively engage in the conversation on global sustainability over the last 11 years.
Narula wore a T-shirt with the Iranian revolutionary slogan “Woman-Life-Freedom” (pictured above) as a show of solidarity with the women of Iran who are protesting for their rights and freedom. In keeping with the theme of freedom, her Founder’s Award this year went to two films depicting the fight for rights: feature film ‘Call Jane’ on the issue of abortion rights in the US and director Alex Pritz’s documentary ‘The Territory’ set in the Brazilian Amazon rainforest.
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“As a founder of these awards, one principle that is closest to my heart is freedom,” added Narula.
The tve GSFA, now in its 11th year, is considered one of the most prestigious international film awards focused on global sustainability, rewarding films both on their creativity as well as on the sustainability impact. An international jury panel drawn from the fields of sustainability and filmmaking around the world, adjudicated on the 70 entries to first come up with three or four shortlisted films for each category and then the final winners.
“The films we judged and awarded were undoubtedly inspiring but also told fascinating stories that reflect both the threats, and importantly the solutions, to climate change and the loss of animal and plant life up to how to build sustainable livelihoods,” said Nick Nuttal, chair of the jury for the TVe GSFA 2022.
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The other winners of this year’s awards included:
Transforming Society award for ‘Road to Fulfilment’
Documentary Impact award for ‘Eating Our Way to Extinction’
Young Filmmaker award for Henry Smith’s ‘Changing Paradigms’
Digital Technology and AI for Sustainable Living award for ‘Age of Change: Circulor’
TVe is a UK-registered charity founded by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), WWF-UK, and Central Television, now part of ITV, in 1984, with a mission to use the power of storytelling to drive real world change for a more sustainable future.
