News 07 Mar, 2023

CMS VATAVARAN Film Festival & Forum on LiFE in Goa

The CMS VATAVARAN Film Festival & Forum on LiFE is taking place in Goa from March 5-7, 2023. The IUCN Commission on Education and Communication (CEC) is pleased to collaborate with CMS VATAVARAN in organizing this first-ever green film festival and forum, focused on encouraging public and private participation to protect, save, and preserve the precious biodiversity of the coastal region of Goa.

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Photo: IUCN CEC

CMS VATAVARAN Film Festival & Forum on LiFE acts as a catalyst in taking up multifaceted environmental issues, sharing available knowledge, highlighting the deep inter-connectedness between sectors and issues, encouraging, critical thinking and helping shift entrenched attitudes and practices. The festival integrates several interesting programs like film screenings, panel discussions, a MOJO Film making workshop focusing on using available technologies and smartphones as a tool for environmental education, and enhancing the role of youth in conservation among other topics linked to environmental protection. Furthermore, the importance of media and films towards achieving environmental protection goals is stressed in order to develop and adopt best practices and build capacity.

Dr. Pramod Sawant, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Goa participated in the inaugural ceremony, celebrated in March 5. The inaugural ceremony screened Education on the Boat - A new Hope for tomorrow, a film from Bangladesh that presents a disruptive modality for educating children in remote rural areas. The film was followed by an engaging and reflecting dialogue between a multicultural audience where diverse dimensions about education in remote rural areas were discussed. Participants commented on their perceptions about this initiative, including CEC Steering Committee members who shared their experience and knowledge for improving and replicating components of Education on the Boat - A new Hope for tomorrow in other vulnerable areas in the world. 

CMS VATAVARAN Film Festival & Forum on Life combines films with cultural performance to create a vibrant environment for learning and community engagement.

 

LiFE is Lifestyle For Environment

At the 2021 UN Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP26), the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi announced Mission LiFE (Lifestyle For Environment), to bring individual behaviours to the forefront of the global climate action narrative. LiFE envisions replacing the prevalent 'use-and-dispose' economy with a circular economy, which would be defined by mindful and deliberate utilisation. The LiFE mission intends to nudge individuals to undertake simple acts in their daily lives that can contribute significantly to climate change when embraced across the world.

LiFE plans to leverage the strength of social networks to influence social norms surrounding climate. The Mission plans to create and nurture a global network of individuals, namely ‘Pro- Planet People’ (P3), who will have a shared commitment to adopt and promote environmentally friendly lifestyles. Through the P3 community, the mission seeks to create an ecosystem that will reinforce and enable environmentally friendly behaviours to be self-sustainable.

 

CEC in South and Southeast Asia

Goa is known across the world for its green vegetation, pristine beaches and clean air. Goa is among one of the states known to have high environmental awareness as compared to other states in India but still the over-utilised waste management system, lack of education and awareness about environment conservation, dumping of solid and liquid wastes, limited enforcement of deterrent measures against beach pollution, water bodies, and ecologically sensitive areas, and violation of coastal zone regulation are some of the pressing challenges facing tourism in Goa. Public awareness and education, through CMS VATAVARAN Film Festival & Forum on LiFE, will encourage public and private participation to protect, save, and preserve the precious biodiversity of the coastal region of Goa.

Previously to CMS VATAVARAN Film Festival & Forum on Life, CEC and CMS VATAVARAN, organized the first-ever CMS VATAVARAN Festival & Forum on Climate Action and Biodiversity Conservation celebrated in Bhutan, in November 2022.