Indian filmmakers bag Green Oscars

Better known as the Panda Awards or the Green Oscars, the two Indian winning entries were Mysore-based duo Krupakar-Senani's 'The Pack: Episode 5' in the Animal Behaviour category and Rita Banerji and Shilpi Sharma's 'The Wild Meat Trail' in the category to promote filmmakers from developing countries.

The Wildscreen awards received 446 entries this year, of which 67 were shortlisted for the final.

'The Wild Meat Trail' portrays community and individual hunting practices in different parts of North-East India, tracking the complex transition of these utility and ritual-based hunting traditions into an increasingly commercial activity geared to generate cash.

The film also traces the journey of an individual, Tarang, who is trying to bring in workable ideas of conservation and sustainability to his village and the Nyishi community of Arunachal Pradesh.

Producers say that the film was made to draw attention to the rapidly declining wildlife population in the North-East and the possible ways to bring positive change through community-led conservation.

Another Indian film that made the short list was Bangalore-based filmmaker Sandesh Kadur's 'North-Eastern Diaries: Seeking Wildlife in the Eastern Himalayas'.