Theme: COSMIC CONNECTIONS/ women and nature
11 films / 7 countries
15 - 19 January 2021
Rising Gardens Film Festival
This weekend of the festival is now over. To know more about the films, please download brochure here.
AMEPÃ / Kshipra Shekhar Dhavle / India / 2020 / animation / 07:00
An exploration of the relationship between humans and animals, while the construction of a dam in the Dibang Valley presents a threat to one of the most biodiverse Himalayan zones.
ASHA DE VOS ON STUDYING BLUE WHALES / Irushi Tennekoon / Sri Lanka / 2019 / animation / 03:18
Sri Lankan marine biologist and ocean educator Asha de Vos talks about the blue whale skeleton at the Colombo National Museum that inspired her as a child, and the challenges of being a South Asian woman in science.
DOLPA DIARY / Prasuna Dongol / Nepal / 2019 / documentary / 24:25
A young city dweller battles her inner demons to discover unknown strengths and connections with nature, as she treks solo across a remote mountainous region.
GLOW WORM IN A JUNGLE / Ramana Dumpala / India / 2018 / documentary / 12:00
Hema Sane, a retired Botany professor, lives surrounded by nature in the heart of Pune’s concrete jungle. She stays without electricity, and shares her philosophy of an austere life with doses of humour and wisdom.
HUM CHITRA BANATE HAIN (We Make Images) / Nina Sabnani / India / 2017 / animation / 08:51
A collaboration between the Bhil artist Sher Singh and the film-maker Nina Sabnani explains one of the indigenous community’s origin myths.
ORU THUDAKATHINTE KADHA (Story of a Beginning) / Balaram J / India / 2020 / animation / 11:48
A film that suggests we tend to neglect the innocence of the natural world around us while bickering over differences of opinion and religious beliefs.
SHEPHERDESS OF THE GLACIERS / Stanzin Dorjai Gya, Christiane Mordelet / India, France / 2016 / documentary / 74:00An intimate portrayal of a shepherdess living in the Himalayas as she tends her herd of cashmere goats through the harsh winter months and the ever-present threat of predators.
As Saraswati joins the euphoria of the Pandava Lila festival, she recalls her worries, loneliness and her final sense of peace and belonging amidst the natural beauty of her village.
As a little girl, Sybil Wettasinghe would go with her grandmother to the forest early morning to bathe in the river while birds flew ahead and animals scurried about. This inspired her to create many of her children’s stories with their distinct drawings and enchanting storytelling.
THEN COMES THE EVENING / Maja Novaković / Bosnia / 2019 / documentary / 27:30
Nature is the entity that two women in Eastern Bosnia speak and listen to, and respect. This is reflected in the simplicity and purity of their way of life, as well as in the daily activities that they perform.
Colleen Cooley, a Diné (Navajo) river guide on the San Juan River, works to share native perspectives on issues of water-resource management. Her knowledge represents centuries of often overlooked indigenous experiences, histories and perspectives.