For the first time in Leh, a three-day green film festival and forum is scheduled to be held in Leh from July 28 to 30.

The festival is being organized by the GoI-UNDP-GEF SECURE HIMALAYA project with support from the Department of Wildlife Protection, Administration of the Union Territory of Ladakh & Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MOEFCC), GOI and CMS VATAVARAN. 

It is part of a series of ‘9th CMS VATAVARAN Travelling Film Festival and Forum’ in four Himalayan cites of Uttarkashi, Gangtok, Lahaul & Spiti and Leh. The idea behind this festival and forum is to encourage conservation through films, festivals and forums. In this mode, the festival will outreach and engage with a cross-section of stakeholders, including the Government of India, Media, Conservation organizations, Experts, Academics, Corporations, Youth and the general public and provide a platform for showcasing the SECURE Himalayas initiatives and programs.

Speaking on this occasion, CMS DG Dr Vasanti Rao said, “The Himalayas and especially the Ladakh region is highly sensitive towards climate change and need special conservation efforts by all, including each citizen. Climate change is rapidly altering the farming of the region and hence affecting the livelihood of the locals. According to a study, the annual temperatures in the Indian Himalayas rose by up to 2 degrees Celsius over two decades, while the area of glaciers here have reduced by 13% over five decades. By organizing festivals and forums like CMS VATAVARAN, we can connect these local changes to larger global trends and discourse, and also introspect/discuss what we all collectively can-do to conserve the same. We invite all residents and nature lovers to attend this festival.”

 Key Highlights of the festival
 
•    Film screening at the Sindhu Sanskriti Bhawan Auditorium on 28 and 29 July 2021 from 10 am to 5 pm of selected awarded/nominated CMS VATAVARAN environmental films (with focus on Ladakh) on various relevant environmental issues like water conservation, wildlife conservation, climate change, forest conservation and livelihood & sustainable technologies.

•    A media outreach session/panel discussion on 30 July 2021 on “Covid-19 pandemic and its impact on Climate Change Reporting and Himalayan Ecosystem” at the DC Conference Hall from 10.30 am to 12.30 pm will also be organized. The idea behind this session is to create an engagement with 30 to 35 environment journalists, conservation organizations, experts, academics, corporations, youth and civil society.  

•    A half-day capacity-building/orientation workshop on 30 July 2021 on “Role of Storytelling and Social Media in Conservation” is to be conducted by an award-winning filmmaker at the DC Conference Hall from 2 to 5 pm. 
 
All the programs in these festivals are free for all to attend. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the screenings will be divided into two sessions of three hours each per day where only fifty people can be allowed to participate in each session. Strict COVID 19 safety measures, as per the direction of the administration, will be taken into consideration during the screenings and workshops. Participants will be briefed about precautions before the program starts; during the program, and frequent reminders of these precautions will be shared.