Celebrating a Greener Future - Punjab State Council for Science & Technology and CMS VATAVARAN host Three-Day Film Festival & Forum on LiFE at Chandigarh University

Chandigarh: Punjab State Council for Science & Technology and CMS VATAVARAN organized three-day Film Festival & Forum on LiFE at Chandigarh University, Gharuan, Mohali, from March 28th30th with an aim to encourage students, youth, policy-makers, government officials and media representatives to adopt environment-friendly lifestyles in their day to day life for improving the environment and mitigating the effects of climate change. This event was a part of the Environment Education Programme (EEP) of the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Govt. of India, for which PSCST is the state nodal agency in Punjab.

The film festival was inaugurated by Dr Jatinder Kaur Arora, Executive Director, Punjab State Council for Science & Technology. She gave insights into India’s Nationally Determined Contributions towards Climate Change and emphasized the need for putting forward and propagating sustainable ways of living.

The 3-day event featured screenings of various national and international award-winning films, including the 2022 Oscar-nominated Indian documentary film in the Best Documentary Feature Film category "All That Breathes" by filmmaker Shaunak Sen and CMS VATAVARAN award-winning film Revival of Kali Bein, a rivulet in Punjab. In addition to the film screenings, a panel discussion on "Empowering Youth to Tackle Climate Change: Education for Sustainable Development" was organized which was moderated by Mr Sabyesachi Bharti, Deputy Director of CMS VATAVARAN and the panellists were Mr Aditya Madan, Governance Fellow to the Minister of Governance Reforms, Govt of Punjab, Mr Ankit Chhabra, Mr Ajay Sharma, and Dr K.S. Bath, Joint Director of PSCST.

The festival also included a three-day Green Filmmaking Workshop led by Mr Ritesh Taksande from FTII, one of India's most prominent Mojo Educators, and Film and Photography Educators. During the workshop, 25 participants worked together to create 180-second impact films which were screened in the closing ceremony which was graced by Mr Aditya Madan as the guest of honour.

Approximately 1,800 students, members of the general public, and civil society participated in the festival, which complemented the ongoing "Bharat ka Amrit Mahotsav" and "India's G20 Presidency" celebrations. The festival aimed to inspire and educate individuals on how they can make a positive impact on the environment and contribute to a sustainable future.