New Delhi, July 10, 2023: RoundGlass Sustain’s film, Wings of Hope: A Bustling Village and Their Bird Friends has won the 2023 Audience Award at the UN World Wildlife Day Film Showcase. This global event highlighted films featuring people who are making a difference through collaboration and partnerships on a local and international level. Out of the 29 films selected and screened from around the world, Wings of Hope was the only one from India.
The film was made by RoundGlass Sustain with filmmaker Gunjan Menon, who specialises in wildlife conservation and human-interest stories.
Speaking about the win, Neha Dara, Head, RoundGlass Sustain said, “We are extremely thrilled that our film has won the 2023 Audience Choice Award at the UN World Wildlife Day Film Showcase. I want to thank the United Nations, CITES and Jackson Wild for giving us this wonderful opportunity. But most of all, I want to thank the audience who took time out to watch the film and voted for it. I would also like to highlight the work of filmmaker Gunjan Menon who brought this story to us. And I would like to express deep gratitude to Menarias, the people of Menar, whose initiative to protect a lake for the birds is what made the core of this story.”
The World Wildlife Day Film Showcase is curated by Jackson Wild, one of the world’s most important festivals for wildlife filmmaking and a global forum that accelerates and elevates impactful storytelling at the nexus of nature, science and climate.
Wings of Hope: A Bustling Village and Their Bird Friends, highlights the conservation efforts of the residents of Menar, a village near Udaipur in Rajasthan. The Menarias have taken extraordinary steps to make their village and its lake a safe haven for the thousands of resident and migratory birds.
Scarlett Brown, Jackson Wild’s Awards & Film Program Manager congratulated RoundGlass Sustain on the win and said, “It’s truly remarkable to see your film resonating so deeply with the audience, as their votes reflect their connection and admiration for the story.”
RoundGlass Sustain will be presented the trophy during the Awards Gala on September 28th, as part of the four-day Jackson Wild Summit in Wyoming, USA.
RoundGlass Sustain is a not-for-profit organisation that has been digitally documenting India’s rich biodiversity to create a comprehensive record of its wildlife and habitats. So far, it has created more than 1900 pieces of content on its website roundglasssustain.com which include:
• 170 videos in 8 languages
• 150 photo stories
• 184 infographics
RoundGlass Sustain’s work has been recognized both in India and abroad. In 2022, the Department of Science and Technology, the government of Rajasthan, organised three events screening films produced by RoundGlass Sustain on Rajasthan’s biodiversity.
RoundGlass Sustain’s work was highlighted during discussions at COP26 as a platform that is creating new opportunities for storytelling on critical issues like climate change and the evolving relationships between wildlife and people. The not-for-profit has also partnered with international organisations like the UNDP, Nature Conservancy, Global Mangrove Alliance and Cities for Forest and helped them generate interest and awareness around wildlife and ecosystems through storytelling.