Asia’s biggest Environmental Film Festival and Forum CMS VATAVARAN in collaboration with the Canadian High Commission of Inada and Bhutan, IUCN CEC, Royal Thimphu College (RTC), Thimphu and Norbuling Rigter College (NRC), Paro is organizing Bhutan’s first-ever film festival and forum on Climate Action and Biodiversity conservation at Royal Thimphu College (RTC) Thimphu from 2nd to 4th November and at the Norbuling Rigter College (NRC) Paro on 7th November.
The festival and forum aim to facilitate youth participation in planning, policy and action in conserving the rich natural resources and environmental heritage of this nation. It will have a series of several interesting programs which will cover film screenings, seminars, workshops, Panel discussions, etc. focusing on the environmental, social and economic aspects of Climate-Change and Biodiversity Conservation in the Greater Himalayan Region.
On this occasion, two prominent Bhutanese environmentalists Dr Nawang Norbu, Executive Director (Vice-President) of Bhutan Ecological Society and Dr Rebecca Pradhan, senior ecologist and botanist at the Royal Society for Protection of Nature Bhutan will be conferred upon the “Bhutan CMS VATAVARAN Green Ambassador Awards” for their contribution in the field of Biodiversity Conservation in Bhutan.
The inaugural ceremony will be followed by a series of panel discussions, seminars, green filmmaking workshops and master classes and short film competitions. Several eminent speakers i.e. Mr Sean Southey (Chair for the Commission on Education and Communication (IUCN-CEC) at the International Union for Conservation of Nature), Mr Colin Shonk (Counsellor and Head, Advocacy Programme: Public Diplomacy, Media, Academic & Cultural Relations at the High Commission of Canada in India and Bhutan), Mr Chimi Rinzin (Country Director, WWF Bhutan), Ms P N Vasanti (DG CMS), Mr Dorji Dorji (Acting Chief Program Officer, Bhutan Trust Fund for Environmental Conservation), Dr Shiva Raj Bhattarai, Dean (Academics), Royal Thimphu College and Mr Rakesh Rao, Sr. Environmental, Science and Conservation Filmmaker from India will be participating in it.
