Environment film fest to screen entries from G20 nations

PANAJI: The 1st Goa Environmental Film Festival will be hosted in the state from June 3 to 5 to coincide with the scheduled G20 meetings in the state.
Environmental films from the G20 countries were invited to participate in the festival and 50 films entered at the fest will be screened, which are from the countries of Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Finland, Ireland, Oman, Portugal, Russia, and Spain, besides India. Five films by Goa filmmakers will also be screened, environment minister Nilesh Cabral said.
He said that chief minister Pramod Sawant has agreed to make this environment film festival an annual event, which will continue to invite entries from across the globe annually.
The Oscar-award-winning film ‘Elephant Whisperers’ will be the festival opening film, said Cabral, while the Spanish film ‘Alcarras’, which won the Golden Bear at the Berlin film festival, will be the closing film.
“Environmentally-conscious population in Goa can get linkage to what is happening in the realm of the environment in the world through the festival. We sought invitations from G20 countries and we are happy to say we have received a good number of entries. The schedule of film screenings will be released on June 1. We encourage students and environmentally-conscious people to register for the festival. The festival is open to all. Entry to the festival will be through online registrations only,” said coordinating official for the G20 meetings, Sanjit Rodrigues.
He said the state film festival logo represents Goa’s state bird, flame-throated yellow bulbul, which was shortlisted to represent the festival annually as Goa is also known as a hotspot for birdwatching.
The themes of films to be screened include environment, sustainable-living, community life, biodiversity, solutions to plastic pollution, waste management, and water conservation, said Rodrigues.
Film screenings will take place at the Marquinez Palace screen I and II.
“Since the auditoriums used for screenings are of limited capacity, people are requested to register online and book their seats in advance. Registration is free and is already open online. The tickets have to be booked through www.goaeff.in,” said Cabral.