24 MAY Delhi:The first-ever Urban Climate Film Festival, that aspires to employ the powerful medium of film to enlighten audiences about the environmental, social and economic impacts of climate change on urban settlements, is going to take place in New Town, Kolkata from 3rd to 5th June 2023.16 films from 12 countries are scheduled to be screened, along with Q&A sessions with filmmakers in order to spark conversations about building climate-resilient cities and invite inputs from the public; further encouraging the citizens to undertake ‘environmentally responsible behavior’ in line with the U20 priority areas and the Hon. Prime Minister’s clarion call through the LiFE Mission.Launched in New Delhi in March 2023, the film festival is being organised by National Institute of Urban Affairs, through the CITIIS program under the engagement events of U20 (the urban track of G20). The festival is supported by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, the French Development Agency (AFD), the European Union and the New Town Kolkata Green Smart City Corporation Limited.The global call for entries for the festival had received an overwhelming response with 150 films submitted from 20 countries. These were evaluated by a jury that comprised:Dr Surbhi Dahiya (Professor, Indian Institute of Mass Communication)Dr Pranab Patar (Chief Executive, Global Foundation for Advancement of Environment)Mr Sabyesachi Bharti (Deputy Director, CMS Vatavaran)The festival will also celebrate World Environment Day on 5th June with a special closing ceremony, which will be graced by Mr. Didier Talpain, Consul General of France in Kolkata; Mr. Debashis Sen, Managing Director, West Bengal Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation; Mr. Hitesh Vaidya, Director, National Institute of Urban Affairs; Mrs. Meghna Pal, CEO, NKGSCCL; and Mr. Naim Keruwala, Program Director, CITIIS.Entry to the Urban Climate Film Festival is free and open for all.Attendees can view the screening schedule and register themselves for the festival here: https://citiis.niua.in/event/urbanclimatefilmfestival Background:The Urban Climate Film Festival was launched on 24th March at Alliance Française in New Delhi. After a successful run in Delhi, the festival travelled to Mumbai, where it was hosted at Alliance Française de Bombay. The festival in Delhi and Mumbai showcased a curated selection of films by a diverse pool of filmmakers from countries like India, France, Iran, and the USA. The screenings were complemented by panel discussions and special sessions where audiences interacted with filmmakers.
