Introduction

Introduction to Aranyam

Aranyam which means forest in Sanskrit is India's 1st and Only Annual International Film Festival that inculcates an interest for the Environment and Wildlife to audiences of all standings.

The aim is to promote conservation of nature and public appreciation of biodiversity through the power of visual imagery; to unearth the grave importance for the survival of various species and to bring about a global influence to help save our world from further environmental depletion.


The Festival takes a fresh look on the environment, showcasing movies associated with wildlife, global warming and sustainable development. It is a unique non-profit program, run entirely by volunteers from all walks of life; from engineers to associates, NGOs to government employees, and moreover students from various colleges and Universities across the country come together to make this festival happen.

The festival screened 30 films and travelled to 5 different cities in India (Pune, Cochin, Hyderabad, Chennai and Bangalore). With a great help from our dedicated volunteer group, the films were screened to an audience spanning in thousands and were also able to spread the message of conservation to an estimated 2 million through media and other means of publicity. With the support of Wildscreen <ref>http://www.wildscreenfestival.org/</ref> Festival UK , Film son Global Warming and Climate Change were also screened to the public.

Aranyam 2008 intends to top all that and aims host a collage of activities; film screenings, student film competitions, photo exhibitions and and incorporate many differnt concepts and ideas which will aid in mass awareness, especially the youths. An interactive panel for discussion and director workshops, bringing together an assortment of prominent personalities from the fields in question are also in the pipeline.

Films were Screened for Aranyam 2007

THE QUEEN OF TREES
Directed By: Mark Deeble and Victoria Stone


THE QUEEN OF TREES The fig tree and fig wasp differ in size a billion times over, but neither could exist without the other. Their extraordinary relationship is a pinnacle of co-evolution, and the basis of a complex web of dependency that supports animals from ants to elephants. Each individual fig is a microcosm – a stage set for birth, sex and death as the tiny players battle against predators and parasites to fulfill their mission. It is one of the most amazing stories in the natural world – a tale of intrigue and drama, set against grand Africa and its’ wildlife


WILD DOG DIARIES
Directed By : Krupakar Senani


WILD DOG DIARIES Krupakar, a film-maker is paying for man's historical folly of deriving the species to near extinction. When all his scientific learning cannot bridge the mistrust between him and his elusive subjects, he turns to Bomma, a tribal, for help. What follows is a rare synergy, where native wisdom compliments modern learning, culminating in unraveling one of the most mysterious of predators; the Dhole or Asiatic Wild Dog.


ANGELS IN TIGERLAND
Directed By: Suresh Elamon


Periyar Tiger Reserve is one of the best protected areas of India. Other than larger mammals like the Tiger Asian Elephant, Leopard, Wild Dog, Guar, Sambar, Nilgiri, Langur, Liontailed Macaque, Giant Flying Squirrel, etc. the reserve is also a sanctuary of hundreds of butterfly species, some of them as spectacular as those found anywhere in the world. More than three -fourth of the total 334 species so far recorded from southern Indian can be seen in Periyar.�The film takes the viewer on an exciting excursion into this interesting and colourful world of butterflies, introduces him to a brief biology of butterflies including the complete metamorphosis of the largest butterfly in India, the Southern Birdwing (Troides Minos) with stunning visuals. Thereafter the viewer gets a glimpse of the various types of predation in the world of butterflies.�The film ends up with the first ever video footage of the extremely rare and legendary butterfly of the Indian subcontinent TRAVANCORE EVENING BROWN (Parantirrohea Marshalli) which was thought to be extinct for a very long time but was rediscovered from Periyar Tiger Reserve in the last decade. This butterfly is so rare that only very few people have seen it in the wild so far. The film not only shows it as a live specimen but also its early stages, its pupation and final emergence as an adult

THE FRIDGE

Directed By: Lucie Stamfestova

The Fridge The Fridge is an animated "Parable about planet Earth" - technically creative and very captivating. Operating on several levels, it achieves high standards in terms of visual presentation and story-telling. Story-telling is often at its best when it seems the most effortless. This is the case here. Through animation the audience is given the possibility to confront the horror and devastation of an overheated world. Carefree chickens stay in denial until they are fried to carbon. (And we know that also less carefree chickens might face the same bleak future.) The scariness of the film is carried by its wit and energy. This energy is also needed for action.


TIGER THE DEATH CHRONICLES

Directed By : Krishnendu Bose

Tiger, the symbol of India. One of the most charismatic animals to walk the face of the earth. Faces it’s most severe crisis today. Its prey, habitat and the animal itself are being decimated.

Tiger-the death chronicles, explores this crisis. Traveling through tiger hotspots like Sariska, Panna and Buxa, the film attempts to unravel the nuts and bolts of the crisis. It looks at states like Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and Goa and how they maybe trading their tigers and their forests, for more economic revenue. The film maps the curious case of a mining project in the heart of a tiger habitat in Orissa. It
also highlights the positive work being done in reserves like Corbett and up in the BR Hills, of Karnataka.

Tiger- the death chronicles in 63 minutes, encapsulates 30 years of conservation attitude in this country. For the first time ever, a film joins diverse voices, from tiger scientists and conservationists to ordinary citizens, to attempt a brutal and an honest assessment of the present and the future of the Indian tiger and it’s habitat.

CONCERT FOR INDIA’S ENVIRONMENT
Directed by Chinmaya Dunster


This short documentary film is 48 minutes long and blends footage from a series of multimedia concerts recorded live at the Bharati Vidyapeeth Institute of Environmental Education and Awareness (BVIEER), Pune, India in 2004 with:

Poems on nature, composed and read by Indian schoolchildren

Interviews with environmentalists and educators

Stunning footage of scenery, wildlife and peoples from all over India.

It aims to evoke feelings of reverence for the wonders of India’s nature, and respect for the peoples who have lived alongside them and preserved so much of them over countless generations.

SACRED GROVES, focusing on the tradition of preserving forests as sacred to a local deity, is the second part of the film.


An GREEN AGONY
Directed By: Geeta Singh

Each morning as the rays of the sun sift through the leaves, the forest awakens to the sounds of lapping oars. Cruising through a maze of creeks and rivulets, boats small and big, negotiate their way to start yet another day of their lives. A life of constant struggle, struggle to stay afloat, struggle to find a space, struggle to simply survive. Along the borders of India and Bangladesh, where rivers meet the ocean, lies a world that knows no boundaries. Where man, mangroves and wild life are forever trying to hold their ground. A world that bows to none, but the vagaries of nature.This is the story of the Sundarbans … a world living in Agony.A Green Agony explores the unique ecosystem of the Sundarbans, the only mangrove Tiger land in the world, and analyses the impact of Global climate change on all the inhabitants of the region.


Global Dimming
Produced By : Dox Productions


Global Dimming Evidence of the previously unknown phenomenon of Global Dimming, one that scientists believe could dramatically alter global temperatures

Climate scientists have discovered a phenomenon that threatens to disrupt our world. It may already have contributed to the deaths of hundreds of thousands through drought and famine. Unchecked, it will strike again. The good news is that there is a cure. The bad news is that the cure may be worse than the disease. If scientists are right, then we may be about to unleash a climate catastrophe on our planet the like of which it hasn’t experienced in its 4 billion years. This is a film about stark choices and about the dawning realisation that all our predictions about the world’s climate may be wrong. At its heart is something that scientists are calling “global dimming”.


ARE WE CHANGING PLANET EARTH

Directed by: David Attenborough


ARE WE CHANGING PLANET EARTH"This is our planet: planet Earth. It contains an astonishing variety of landscapes and climates. Since life began, around 4,000 million years ago, it has gone through extraordinary changes in its climate and in the species that live on it. But now it seems that our planet is being transformed — not by natural events, but by the actions of one species: mankind."

David Attenborough explores just how much climate change is altering our planet. He looks ahead to find out what needs to be done to save Planet Earth from the worst impact of global warming and discovers what could happen to the planet once a 'tipping point' of carbon emissions is reached. He also discusses the solutions we can all adopt to prevent catastrophic change.

CAN WE SAVE PLANET EARTH

Directed by: Sir David Attenborough


CAN WE SAVE PLANET EARTHImagine in 50 years time looking into your children's eyes and saying "yeah we knew about it and did nothing"

"Can We Save Planet Earth" features an in depth look into science that is climate change.This Sequel to "Are we changing planet Earth" shows us the effects already felt in places all around the world, the causes and the solutions.This one hour documentary is something that every person concerned with future generations of this planet needs to see!


STRANGE DAYS ON PLANET EARTH: THE ONE DEGREE FACTOR
Produced by : Sea Studios foundation for Vulcan productions, Inc and National Geographic Television and Film.


One Degree FactorFrom the Arctic north to the tropical isles of the Caribbean, scientists are documenting a series of perplexing phenomena many believe is linked to climate change.

As heat accumulates in the global climate system, places such as Alaska and the northwest corner of Canada are getting more than their share. The average temperature has increased in some places here by as much as 11 degrees Fahrenheit. Emerging signs indicate that the region's rising temperature is affecting the indigenous Porcupine Caribou in ways both subtle and potentially severe.


Climate's First Orphans