Voices from the Waters

Voices from the Waters

International Traveling Film Festival 2011

“If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in Water”

-Loran Eisley

dedicated to the rivers and streams of the universe

Bangalore Film Society in collaboration with a consortium of institutions will be organizing the 6^th edition of the largest international film festival on water- Voices from the Waters 2011 from August 25^th to the 28^th with a daylong conference on water on August 29^th. The festival will be organized in 6 venues across Bangalore. The main venue is Alliance Francaise de Bangalore and inauguration at Christ University auditorium. Apart from screening of internationally acclaimed films on various water themes, the other attractions of the festival are painting and photo exhibitions, art installations, interactions with film directors, water scholars, grass root level water voices and water songs. There will be three days special screenings of the films for the high school students at Balbhavan, Cubbon Park, Bangalore.

Voices from the Waters, International Film Festival was initiated by Bangalore Film Society in 2005, as an effective way of reaching out to the uninitiated on water issues with an emphasis on high school, college students and the youth. The programme aims to bring together grass-root level water activists, environmentalists, scientists, policy makers, film-makers, lecturers, scholars, artists, working professionals from all walks of life to engage in a process of learning and debate on various water issues from around the world.

Voices from the Waters has established its relevance over the last five years and we have consistently been receiving film for the festival from across the world underlining the global concern for water. The festival is growing in stature year after year with more and more institutions coming forward to collaborate with us and take the festival across India and abroad through the year giving the film makers chance to exhibit their works to a broader and diverse audience to enhance water and environmental consciousness.

The collaborators of the Voices from the Waters International festival are, Alliance Francaise de Bangalore, SVARAJ, Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival, (FLEFF) Ithaca College, USA, Christ University, Bangalore, VISTHAR, Charter of Human Responsibilities, SAMVADA, Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy, Art group, Doddaballapur, YWCA Bangalore and Water Journeys - Campaign for Fundamental Right to Water – academic and socio-cultural organizations deeply concerned about our depleting potable water resources and searching for ways to replenish this source of life for life worlds.

Your contribution to the festival:

Bangalore is thirsty and most Bangaloreans spend exorbitant amounts of money for water for basic necessities. While we read everyday in the news papers of the drinking water crisis, as per the report published in The Hindu dated April 12^th 2011,”drinking water crisis looms large in over 4000 villages and 38 towns in 12 districts of Karnataka” which highlights the enormity of the issue. Most states of India suffer from shortage of drinking water and we all need to act together to avert a catastrophe waiting to happen. Voices from the Waters International Film Festival is unique in its approach to raising awareness among the public to conserve our drinking water resources for posterity, to save ourselves and the planet.

We welcome all of you to this unique film festival to see and listen to the stories from the waters across the world.