We are excited to announce the winning films of the Nature inFocus Film Awards 2022.
With each edition, the number of entries and the quality of the films have been steadily on the rise. We are grateful to all the participants and heartily congratulate all the winners.
The results were announced at a live virtual event on December 23, 2022. Scroll down to see the winning films.
The Pack That Perished—TaleScope Pictures (Ashwin Gokhale & Aditya Shekatkar) and The Grassland Trust (Mihir Godbole)
Winner—Professional (Conservation)
Canine Distemper virus is a fatal virus that affects wildlife universally. The film highlights the impacts of this virus on the endangered Indian Grey Wolves. With entire packs being wiped out, the film shows how local extinction is an imminent threat.
Wild You Were Sleeping: Malabar Pit Viper—Siddhartha Ganesh, Trippintoe Media
Winner—Professional (Natural History)
The Malabar Pit Viper is one of the world's most beautiful snake species. Native to the Western Ghats, it exhibits colour polymorphism (the condition of occurring in several different colours), which allows it to blend in perfectly with its surroundings, making it difficult to spot the reptile in its natural habitat. Despite a non-fatal bite, the species has long been a victim of human retaliation, and more recently, infrastructure expansion, forest clearing and encroachment are threatening its survival. There is an urgent need to acquire more knowledge about the species and increase efforts for snake bite management to ensure peaceful coexistence between humans and these reptiles.
Colonies In Conflict—Rajani Mani
Jury Selection—Professional (Natural History)
Human action is causing pollinator declines worldwide, spelling disaster for the nutritional security and biodiversity of various ecosystems. Filmmaker Rajani Mani gives a first-person account of how expanding cities are wiping out native bee populations, starting from her neighbourhood.
Edible Insects of Nagaland: Stink Bug—Thejavikho Chase and Dipen Rangmang
Winner—Emerging Talent (Conservation)
With more than 2000 insect species documented as edible and more than 200 consumed regularly by people across various communities, the film takes a closer look at the traditional knowledge and nutritional benefits of entomophagy, while shining a light on what is at stake.
Hidden Invaders—Prajwal.K.M
Winner—Emerging Talent (Natural History)
The filmmaker takes us into the hidden world of paper wasps, giving us an up-close look at their lives in an urban setting. From building nests to raising their young ones, the film reveals what it means to be a wasp in a city.
Story of the Western Tragopan—Vinay Kumar Singh
Jury Selection—Emerging Talent (Natural History)
The Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that is home to a good population of the Western Tragopan. The pheasant is classified as Vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. Anthropogenic disturbances during its breeding season are one of the main threats to its existence. The public regularly accesses the park to collect herbs, and the park management is working hard to generate awareness about the pheasant and its conservation. This film documents the journey of Vinay Kumar Singh, a forest guard from GHNP who spent two years making records of this unique pheasant of the Himalayas.
