The Habitats Trust’s Film ‘On the Brink – Gharial’ Wins National Award for Best Non-Feature Film Promoting Social and Environmental Values

Delhi, October 10th, 2024: The Habitats Trust (THT) today organised an exclusive screening of the National Award-winning film On the Brink – Gharial, directed by acclaimed natural history filmmaker Akanksha Sood Singh of The Gaia People. Presented by The Habitats Trust, and co-produced by HCL and The Gaia People, the film recently won the Best Non-Feature Film Promoting Social and Environmental Values at the 70th National Film Awards. The film is part of Season 2 of The On The Brink series. The screening, held at the India Habitat Centre, brought together conservationists, media professionals, and environmental advocates to highlight the critical need for biodiversity conservation.

The screening follows the recognition of On the Brink – Gharial at the National Film Awards Ceremony on October 8, 2024, at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, where Roshni Nadar Malhotra, Chairperson of HCLTech and Founder of The Habitats Trust, received the prestigious award.

The film explores the Chambal River as the last stronghold of the vanishing Gharial. Not too long ago, the species was perilously close to extinction, despite being an inhabitant of one of India’s cleanest rivers. As part of its broader mission, The Habitats Trust utilises the medium of film to raise awareness about conservation and build empathy for the natural world, using storytelling to engage diverse audiences. THT’s YouTube page (www.youtube.com/@thehabitatstrust) features over 190 films in multiple Indian languages, including Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Malayalam, Bengali, and several languages from India’s north-eastern region, all focused on conservation and the many scientists, researchers, communities, grassroots conservationists working to protect the species and habitats we share the planet with .

“Films are a powerful medium for storytelling and outreach,” said Rushikesh Chavan, Head of The Habitats Trust. “They enable us to communicate the importance of conservation in ways that are accessible and relatable to people across different regions and languages, and that is one of the primary reasons why we make our films freely available on our YouTube channel. With On the Brink – Gharial and all our other films, we hope to highlight the urgent need for conservation and inspire action among viewers.”

The screening also featured a preview of Stories from the Ground: Northeast, an upcoming series produced by The Habitats Trust in collaboration with Dusty Foot Productions. This series, comprising 50 short films by local filmmakers, celebrates the unique biodiversity, culture, and traditions of north-eastern India, and traverses across the region.

Akanksha Sood Singh, Director of On the Brink Series, shared her insights on the impact of visual storytelling in conservation, “Films have the unique ability to evoke emotion and create connections. By telling the stories of lesser-known species like the gharial, we aim to shift the narrative and show how the survival of these species is essential for the health of our ecosystems.”

The On the Brink series has consistently earned recognition for its contribution to environmental awareness. Notably, the episode focused on bats won the Best Science & Technology Film at the 68th National Film Awards in 2022, further cementing the series’ impact in bringing attention to lesser-known species critical to India’s biodiversity.