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First edition of the Urban Climate Film Festival begins this weekend in Kolkata

The inaugural edition of the Urban Climate Film Festival is travelling to Kolkata this weekend for a three-day event

The Urban Climate Film Festival aims to spark conversations about building climate-resilient cities among other things. (Unsplash)

By Team Lounge

LAST PUBLISHED 01.06.2023  |  01:00 PM IST

In March, this year, the first edition of the Urban Climate Film Festival was held at Alliance Française in New Delhi to familiarise audiences with the increasing impact of climate change on everyday life and the environment. With filmmakers from countries including India, France, Iran, and the US creating awareness through storytelling, the festival hoped to engage the public in conversations on sustainable urban development.

After Delhi, the festival travelled to Mumbai; and now, in time for the World Environment Day, the festival will be held in Kolkata from 3-5 June. It is being organised by the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) through the CITIIS (City Investments To Innovate Integrate and Sustain) programme under the engagement events of U20 (the urban track of G20).

Also read: FutureFantastic: Using tech art and AI to talk about climate action

The global call for entries for the festival had received an overwhelming response with 150 films submitted from 20 countries. In the Kolkata edition, 16 films from 12 countries will be screened to enlighten audiences about the environmental, social and economic impacts of climate change on urban settlements, states a PTI report.

The films to be screened include Abhishek Mahil’s Borshi-The Fish Hook, The Duty Care-The Climate Trials by Nic Balthazar, New City by Magdalena Krukoswa, Dheeraj Sarthak’s Sunderbans: Rising Water, Ebbing Lives, and Jala Ud Din Baba’s Global Warning: Kashmir Chapter. The screenings will  be accompanied by a Q&A session with the filmmakers, followed by a panel discussion.

According to a press release by the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs, which is supporting the festival, the objectives are to use film as a medium to highlight the environmental, social and economic impacts of climate change on urban settlements, spark dialogue about building climate-resilient cities, and gather people’s inputs about the same. The festival also aims to encourage citizens to undertake “environmentally responsible behaviours" consistent with the U20 Priority Area.

The closing ceremony of the festival will mark World Environment Day and it will be attended by the Consul General of France in Kolkata, Didier Talpain, according to PTI.

The three-day festival will be held at Nazrul Tirtha in New Town, the satellite township near the metropolis.

Also read: How April heatwaves are linked to climate change.