By OUR STAFF REPORTER
Dehradun, 10 Dec: Fifty-five Doonites – 6 Films – 4 hours and 1 Goal: to nudge them towards climate action. On 8 December, Waste Warriors Society hosted Dehradun’s first Environmental Film Festival with ALT-EFF and Been There Doon That (BTDT) at Cafe Laata, Jakhan.
“The power of impact cinema is great and promises to bring a change on the ground combined with the existing efforts and drive,” reflected a young Aanchal Dahima who attended the screenings.
The showcase featured films on interconnected themes of a changing landscape and lifestyle, co-existence, women-led narratives, and the real cost of growth. It started with the India premiere of ‘Jamna – The River Story’ which follows the decline of Yamuna through pollution, mismanagement, and sheer ignorance. The audience was forced to think about the conversation between the crew, and Shyam, a boatman who relies on the Yamuna–
Crew: “Why do people not move away from Yamuna even though it is toxic to live close to and not earns them enough?”
Shyam: “Baat hamesha paise ki nahi hoti. Agar koi aapko duniya ke sare paise deke aapki Maa se dur jaane ko kahega toh aap jaoge?”
We also screened ‘Sakhi Hai to Sahi Hai’, a film shot locally in Sahastradhara by Waste Warriors. The film encompasses the journey of inspiring women to set up their own waste management infrastructure for their villages.
Other films, Burning Mountains, A Work in Progress, Phool Dei, and Snow Leopard, also left a deep mark on people. Phool Dei, hand-drawn and animated by Kartik Mahajan, left the viewers teary-eyed as it touched on migration and ghost villages in high-altitude villages. On the other hand, Snow Leopard got people to reflect on human-wildlife conflict, and interesting anecdotes and controversial viewpoints sprung up!
Climate community events like these are much needed for people to come together for a better, safer Dehradun in the future.
