Satyajit Bhatkal on how films can help fight climate change: They Inform, educate & move the audience

All Living Things Environmental Film Festival, India's biggest platform for environmental cinema, is scheduled to commence on December 1. This year National Award winner filmmaker Satyajit Bhatkal has joined the jury panel. Bhatkal is well-known for his impactful work, and for putting forward compelling stories. For the unversed, he's the mind behind Aamir Khan's immensely successful show Satyamev Jayate and is renowned for his social change initiatives.

In a conversation with WION, Satyajit talked about his inclusion in the jury team of the environmental film festival, talked about climate change crises, how the film industry can help fight it, and much more. 

Read excerpts. 

Q- What are your views on the All Living Things Environmental Film Festival (ALT EFF)? 

A - Climate change is the most important threat we face as a species. The Festival curates and makes available films from around the globe on this crisis. Films give a face and voice to these problems. They give one an opportunity to learn a lot about it. Being a part of the jury was an opportunity to engage with all of this.

Q - The festival has an exciting line-up of films and documentaries, what are the projects you are looking forward to?

A - The festival lineup is really exciting. Some of the films I am looking forward to: We are Guardians from the International Features, Haulout and From Dreams to Dust in the international shorts category, No Water No Village and Tiger Army in the Indian short films and Once There was a Sea and Egret River in the animated films and of course Pleistocene Park, the festival winner. 

Q- How can films and documentaries motivate young people to fight climate change and other global challenges? 

A -  Movies and documentaries inform, educate and emotionally move the audience. They act as a trigger action and sometimes as an aid to it. There is of course no substitute for the actual action itself.

Q - You have been part of the industry for so many years, so what are the climate-related storylines that are typically missing from fictional TV and film worlds? 

A -  I don’t think we have much of a reflection of the ecological crisis in our films so far. I hope that the Festival triggers the imagination of writers and directors to give voice and direction to these issues.

Q - How can the film industry tackle climate change?

A - I don’t think any industry in the world, much less the film industry can alone tackle climate change. Equally, I think that no industry in the world can stand aloof from this task. The film industry will need to reflect on how it can reduce its carbon footprint. It will also need to figure out how it can best use its influence to inform and motivate others to do the same. 

Q - What are your views on green filmmaking?

A - It’s not easy at all, but it needs to be done. Like any other industry, the film industry will also need to reduce its carbon footprint.