Tuesday, June 5, 2007

Watch this captivating photofeature!

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/gallery/2007/jun/05/photography?picture=329977040

Remember, the planet's icy mountains are melting fast....and time is running out. Let's hope that earth's saviors working as individual and communities round the globe will successfully resolve the planet's environmental crisis.

And here are two must read articles!

This one is on helping children stay in touch with nature

http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/wellbeing/story/0,,2095628,00.html

The second article is a news story about biofuels and how the Colombian paramilitary is driving poor farmers off their land

http://environment.guardian.co.uk/energy/story/0,,2095349,00.html


source: email communication from Mr Samuel Thomas, ATREE's Communications Officer

Express your concern for the Environment on World Environment Day by emailing these lovely photos to your friends and relatives





















Sacred groves in the Western Ghats









Bombax ceba in full bloom














Sunset


















Mount Everest
















Mass flowering of Kurunji













The Himalayas

























Agumbe during rains






















Solitary tree


















Ground orchids

















Cup fungus

















A view of the Western ghats

Photo credits : Arvind N A, Senior Research Associate, ATREE

Four day Film Festival on Water starts June 7th

Bangalore Film Society and Films for Freedom, Bangalore

With support from Arghyam Foundation

and

In collaboration with Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival, Ithaca College, New York (FLEFF), Water Journeys and Urban Research Centre

present

The Second International Film Festival on Water


VOICES FROM THE WATERS

7th to 11th June 2007

10am to 9pm

at Gurunanak Bhavan, Bangalore.

4 Features

6 Water Voices

24 documentaries,

25 shorts

40 photographs

For more information, explore http://www.voicesfromthewaters.com/

You can get in touch by phone : 91- 80- 25493705/ 9886213516 or email: bfs@bgl.vsnl.net.in


About the Film Festival

Arghyam- safe, sustainable water for all, Bangalore Film Society and Films for Freedom, Bangalore in collaboration with Water Journeys- Forum for the Fundamental Right to Water, Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival, Ithaca College (FLEFF) and Urban Research Centre are proud to present the second edition of the International Film Festival on Water titled ‘Voices from the Waters 2007’.

The festival, while attempting to cast light on the looming global water crisis is a vibrant, colorful celebration of ‘water’ in all its liquid blue glory.

Featuring a stirring selection of full length films, short films, animation and documentaries - from cinema classics of Ray, Sathyu and Kasaravalli to early documentaries of Aribam Shyam Sharma to much-acclaimed and groundbreaking new works from film makers all across the globe, the festival attempts to connect the public with everyday, mundane ‘water’ as the source of all life, as the platform for civilization and society, as a precious natural gift, as culture, as pure poetry and as a scarce resource increasingly commodified.

The festival will also serve as a platform to the voices of grassroots level water activists from Bihar, Kerala, Rajasthan, Bengal and all across the nation who will narrate evocatively, testimonies from lives lived and spent in the name of water. Film-makers, present at the screening of their films will interact with the audience and share their experience.

The four days of the film festival and storytelling will culminate with a conference which will allow the general public, film-makers, policy markers and grassroots level activists to interact on a common platform.

The Festival Conferences will focus on water equity and ecological issues. Water Equity will address the issues of how the poor will access safe, potable water for their daily necessities as well as for their livelihood, while ecological issues primarily will focus on management of water resources and sustainability.

Since its conception, the second festival of ‘Voices from the Waters’ has been generating a lot of national and international interest. We have received over 140 films from 40 countries across the globe for the 2007 edition.

We invite you to participate in this celebration of life itself and lend further color, noise and depth to the festival. The festival venue provides you with an opportunity to exhibit/share your publications, films, songs, posters on the water issues.
The space for the stalls will be provided free of cost. (on first come, first serve basis)

"If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water" - Loran Eisley

For more information, please contact:-
Georgekutty A.L.
Secretary
Tel: 91- 80- 25493705/ 9886213516 Email: bfs@bgl.vsnl.net.in
Programme Schedule: FOR CHILDREN

Total Screening Time – 90 minutes
Batch 1 and 3

Name of Film, duration and time of screening

1. LET’S NOT DISTURB THE WATER - 22 min - 10-10.22
2. VILLAGE OF DUST, CITY OF WATER - 28 min - 10.22-10.50 am
3. RADIO NONMDAA - 15 min - 10.50 am-11.05 am
4. CAPTAIN PLANET - 23 min - 11.05 am-11.30 am

Batch 2 and 4
Time of screening the above mentioned films
1. 11.45 am-12.07 pm
2. 12.07-12.35 pm
3. 12.35 pm-12.50 pm
4. 12.50 pm-1.15 am
JUNE 7, 2007 (Thursday) – REGULAR SCREENINGS + INAUGURATION

PROGRAM SCHEDULE

Session 1 - (2pm - 4pm)
1) 1000 DAYS AND A DREAM (77) - 2pm-3.30 pm
2) ZONE OF INITIAL DILUTION (30) -3.30 pm-4 pm

Tea Break - 4 pm - 4.15 pm

Session 2 - (4.15 pm – 5.45 pm)

1) WATER AND FILM EVENT SPOTS -4.15 pm-4.20 pm
2) GANASHATRU(93) -4.20 pm-5.50 pm

Break (To prepare auditorium for Inauguration) -5.45 pm - 6.15 pm

6.15 pm – 7.15 pm
Inauguration
Invocation - A WINDOW FACING THE SUN (12mins)
Water Songs
Floating of Lamps and Speeches

Inaugural Film - WE CORNER PEOPLE (50mins) - 7.15 pm – 8.15 pm

JUNE 8, 2007 (Friday)

(Session 1) -2 pm - 4 pm
1) CUTTING OFF A LIFELINE (62) - 2 pm-3.15 pm
2) GANGA FROM THE GROUND UP (43.41) - 3.15 pm-4 pm

Coffee / Tea Break - 4 pm - 4.15 pm

Water Voice – Shivaji Kagnikar (Belgaum) - 4.15 pm - 4.45 pm
Semi-arid and drought prone area - 4.45 to 6.45 pm
(Session 2)
DWEEPA (100) - 4.45 – 6.45 pm

Coffee / Tea Break -6.45 - 7 pm
7– 7.30 pm
Water Voice – Pokkudan (Kerala) -
Coastal Littoral Zone - where land meets the sea

(Session 3) - 7.30 pm to 9 pm

1) THE LOST WATER (25.21) - 7.30 pm – 8.15 pm
2) SOLITARY CEDAR (4) - 8.15 pm – 8.20 pm
3) MOUNTAINS IN THE MIST (42) - 8.20 pm – 9.02 pm

JUNE 9, 2007 (Saturday)

(Session 1) - 10 am to 11.15 am

1) FLOW (4.26) - 10.05 am-11.15 am
2) FAECAL ATTRACTION (32) - 11.15 to 11.30 am

Tea Break - 11.30am – 1.30 pm
(Session 2)

1) THE DESERT’S VOICE (9.50) - 11.30 am-11.40 am
2) SVARAJ (90) - 11.45 am-1.30 pm

Lunch - 1.30 pm – 2 pm

(Session 3) - 2.00 pm - 4 pm

1) SEA IN THE BLOOD (26) - 2 pm-2.26 pm
2) SHADOWS OF TEHRI (45) - 2.30 pm-3.15 pm
3) THE DISAPPEARING OF TUVALU (50) - 3.15 pm-4.05 pm

Tea Break - 4 pm to 4.15 pm

4.15 to 4.45 pm
Water Voice – FARHAD CONTRACTOR
Desert and Semi arid area

(Session 4) - 4.45 pm to 6.45 pm
1) VILLAGE OF DUST CITY OF WATER (28) - 4.45 pm-5.30 pm
2) NOR ANY DROP TO DRINK (23) - 5.30 pm-6 pm
3) THE NEVER NEVER WATER (48) - 6 pm-6.48 pm

Tea Break - 6.45 pm - 7 pm

7 pm to 7.30pm
Water Voice – CHATTER SINGH
Desert Eco- Systems

(Session 5) - 7.30- 9 pm

1) BHANGAN (60) - 7.30 pm-8.45 pm
2) LET’S NOT DISTURB THE WATER (22) - 8.45 pm – 9.10 pm

JUNE 10, 2007 (Sunday)

(Session 1) - 10 am to 11.15 am
1) THE BEGINNING (3.31) - 10 am-10.05 am
2) AL OTRO LADO (70) - 10.05 am-11.15 am

Coffee - Tea Break - 11.15 to 11.30 am

(Session 2) - 11.30am-1.30pm

1) LOKTAK (58) - 11.30 am-12.45 pm
2) THE RAINY SEASON (38) - 12.45 am-1.30 pm

Lunch - 1.30 pm – 2 pm

(Session 3) - 2 pm - 4 pm

1) THE DEVIL’S WATER (53) - 2 pm – 3 pm
2) DUI PAATON KE BEECH MEIN (53) - 3 pm –4 pm

Coffee / Tea Break - 4 pm to 4.15 pm

4.15 to 4.45 pm
Water Voice - EKALAVYA PRASAD AND GROUP
Flood plains of Bihar

(Session 4) - 4.45 pm to 6.45

1) OLD SEA AND THE MAN (74) - 4.45 pm –6.15 pm
2) GHARAT (41.00) - 6.15 pm – 6.45 pm

Tea Break - 6.45 pm - 7 pm

7 pm to 7.30 pm
Water Voice - PREMJI
Flood plains of Bihar

(Session 5) - 7.30- 9 pm
1) BARA (120) -7.30 pm-9.30 pm

Source: email communication from Arghyam Foundation