India Launches Major Environmental Film Fund

The All Living Things Environmental Film Festival (ALT EFF) has initiated a substantial environmental film fund in India, amounting to INR1.2 crore ($126,000). This program, supported by Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies, is designed to offer grants to three documentary projects.

Applications are currently open until June 30. The fund focuses on films exploring the theme of coexistence, examining the intricate relationships between human communities, wildlife, ecology, and climate throughout India.

Selected filmmakers will receive more than just financial backing. They will benefit from mentorship, story development assistance, guidance on impact campaigns, and access to distribution channels via ALT EFF's international network. A second application window opens from November 1 to December 10, managed by DocedgeKolkata.

Rohini Nilekani highlighted the importance of stories that reconnect people with nature and each other, especially during an ecological crisis. The fund specifically seeks projects from historically underrepresented areas, Tier-2 cities, and communities often excluded from mainstream environmental cinema, considering projects in both development and production stages.

Kunal Khanna, co-founder of ALT EFF, emphasized the goal of building a robust ecosystem for climate storytelling in India, noting the abundance of powerful environmental narratives that often lack sufficient long-term support. Beyond funding, supported films will receive backing for impact campaigns, including community outreach and NGO collaborations.