ALT EFF 2024 will showcase facets of environmental narratives through powerful storytelling
A still from the film Jamna- screening at ALT EFF 2024
A film festival that aims to spread awareness about the environment, ALT EFF 2024 or All Living Things Environmental Film Festival 2024 is truly unique in more ways than one. The festival in its fifth year aims to create awareness of the rapid change in the environment through cinema. WION chatted up with Kunal Khanna, the co-founder and festival director of ALT EFF. Khanna spoke about how the idea of starting a film festival on the environment was conceived and what are the films to look out for in the 2024 edition. Here are the excerpts from the interview.
India faces a unique set of environmental challenges, from air pollution to deforestation. How does your festival showcase the diversity of these issues, and what role do you see films playing in shaping public understanding?
As India continues its rapid path to 'development', essentially rolling over most things coming in its way, may it be 1000s of villages for dam projects, or cutting through national parks and conservation areas to build expressways; it is becoming increasingly difficult to grasp the scale what we are losing; the access to the commons of this country, the rich biodiversity that makes us who we are, along with our lived experience of this change as the people of this great nation! Films allow us to see this, through the fog of development, and it is our mission as a festival to cut through the noise and show the public the many facets of environmental narratives, through powerful storytelling. Because "people forget facts but they remember stories" - Joseph Campbell.
What has been the response from filmmakers and audiences to the festival so far? Have you noticed a shift in the types of environmental themes being explored in Indian cinema over the years?
We have been receiving an overwhelming response both from our audiences, and the film-making community. Year on year we are receiving hundreds of more film submissions, and we see this change as the consequences of climate collapse, biodiversity loss and breakdown of the planetary systems become more stark and start to affect each one of us more so than ever before. Film-makers and storytellers are therefore increasingly making this part of the tales they choose to tell and observe our world. This includes stories of hope and resilience, which plays a very important role in inspiring change and action. For the same reasons, an increasing number of audiences are seeking to engage with this content. We are also seeing a whole range of climate stories and themes being covered within the Indian mainstream cinema too.
This includes films like Shreni, Poacher, The Jengaburu Curse, along with Oscar-winning and nominated films from India like The Elephant Whisperers, and All that Breathes.
What are the main highlights of the festival in 2024 you would want people to know about?
The 72 film program at ALT EFF 2024 will comprise the following themes and we are looking forward for our audiences to deep dive into these aspects of our experience of the rapidly changing world we live in and our impact of the same.
1. Our Fellow Earthlings
2. Reflections in a Changing World
3. Co-Existence
4. Food Politics
5. Future-Proofing
6. Fighting Back
7. Forced to Adapt
8. Cost of Growth
9. Women-led Narratives
You have roped in Dia Mirza and Richie Mehta this year for the festival.What about their work inspired you to have them be part of ALT EFF?
Dia is an Eco Investor, Goodwill Ambassador UNEP, UN secretary general advocate for SDGs and Ambassador WildLife Trust Of India, she is one of the most recognisable faces advocating tirelessly to inspire change and address climate issues. Having her onboard with ALT EFF is a clear alignment with the work she does and is advocating for. Similarly, Richie is bringing climate storytelling to the mainstream, namely his shows like Poacher and Extrapolations are a clear example of the same. As he continues to explore these narratives, we are very excited to be working with him to inspire and enable more mainstream filmmakers to weave impact into their work on the screen.
What inspired you to start an environmental film festival in India, and how do you think films can contribute to raising awareness about environmental issues?
After my undergrad in economics back in 2007, I worked in economic policy for fouryears for the Australian government. During this time I spent a lot of time volunteering at and attending film festivals in Australia, and it was these films, stories and experiences that was pivotal for me to realise that we are in the midst of existential crises whilst presenting me with possible solutions and the vast global movement addressing the said issue. It was clear that we need to do everything we can to address the many facets of climate collapse. This led me to take up a Masters of Environment, and then work with the Australian government advising them to help shape climate policy. My own journey into this sphere is a testament to the power of film and storytelling to drive awareness and catalase action on climate. When I arrived in India in 2018 after living in Melbourne for 13 years, I noticed that a platform to showcase films on the environment to inspire the masses did not exist, so I decided to create one.
