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Wildscreen India and Sri Lanka Film Festival hailed a resounding success

Some of the most prominent wildlife and environmental filmmakers are returning home after a hugely successful educational outreach trip to India and Sri Lanka, organised by UK based conservation charity Wildscreen.

Supported by the British Council, the Wildscreen India and Sri Lanka Film Festival attracted 1,000s of delegates, with its programme of award-winning film screenings and masterclasses, touring six cities across the countries in a bid to reach, engage and inspire new audiences to the wonders of the natural world.

The Wildscreen charity, which sits at the heart of the international natural history media industry, works globally to promote an appreciation of biodiversity and nature through the power of wildlife imagery. The Wildscreen Festival in the UK has been the world’s finest platform to exchange ideas, share best practice and provide training to wildlife and environmental filmmakers for almost thirty years. And it is through this work that Wildscreen has helped nurture and shape natural history filmmaking as we know it today.

Passionate about conservation communications, Wildscreen Outreach encompasses local, regional and national initiatives – a particular focus for this work is in developing countries, where pressure on the environment is most critical.

This latest trip marks the third time Wildscreen has visited India and Sri Lanka, with previous programmes having taken place in 2007 and 2009.

The 2011 Wildscreen India and Sri Lanka Film Festival was held in the Indian cities of Bhubaneswar, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Pune; and in Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo.

A two day programme in each city saw a variety of masterclasses and workshops being delivered delving into many aspects of wildlife and environmental filmmaking, from industry trends and the art of storytelling, to managing production, script writing and career guidance.

Wildscreen Festival Panda Award winning films, which were announced at October’s Wildscreen Festival in the UK, were also screened as part of the touring programme.

‘Green’, an environmental film by Patrick Rouxel, which won the highest accolade at the Wildscreen Festival, the WWF Golden Panda Award, and ‘The Wild Meat Trail’, an Indian film by Dusty Foot Productions, which won Wildscreen’s Award to promote filmmakers from developing countries, were just of the awe-inspiring films to be screened.

Richard Edwards, Wildscreen Chief Executive said, “Wildscreen was delighted to have the opportunity to again partner with the British Council, to enable our return to India and Sri Lanka.

“Our aim with this programme is to encourage local involvement in wildlife and environmental filmmaking and to connect local practitioners with the UK and international industry.

“By bringing some of the world’s most prestigious industry experts in the field of natural history filmmaking to India and Sri Lanka, Wildscreen can further its reach and help aspiring filmmakers in regions most affected and under threat from environmental issues. If we can engage and enthuse those on the ground, we can start to make a difference, helping to increase the public’s understanding of the natural world and the very real need to conserve it.”

The film festival pulled together industry experts from France, the UK, USA, India and Sri Lanka, representing individual filmmakers, global conservation and wildlife charities, independent companies and commercial enterprises.

Ends

Contact: Helen Shrimpton, Communications & Marketing Manager
Telephone: 0117 328 5952
Email: helen.shrimpton@wildscreen.org.uk

Wildscreen India and Sri Lanka Film Festival hailed a resounding success

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