India, October 05, 2023: Roundglass Sustain, a not-for-profit organisation digitally documenting India’s rich biodiversity, has been awarded the 2023 Audience Award at the UN World Wildlife Day Film Showcase for its film Wings of Hope: A Bustling Village and Their Bird Friends.
The award was received by Sunny Gurpreet Singh, Founder, Roundglass, on behalf of Roundglass Sustain at an awards gala, as part of the four-day Jackson Wild Summit in Wyoming, USA.
Speaking after the award ceremony Singh said, “People of Menar are an inspiration to all of us. This remarkable community has chosen to put aside the financial and cultural advantages they could derive from the lake habitat to ensure the birds have a safe habitat. If we can all imbibe this selfless spirit and give a part of our effort and money to the cause of protecting the natural world, we will have done one thing right in our lives.”
The World Wildlife Day Film Showcase is handpicked by Jackson Wild, a renowned wildlife film festival designed to promote “Partnerships for Wildlife Conservation”. It amplifies powerful storytelling at the intersection of nature, science, and climate. This year the global event showcased films that spotlight individuals and groups actively creating positive change through local and global collaborations.
The film, Wings of Hope: A Bustling Village and Their Bird Friends, is based on Menar, a small village near Udaipur in Rajasthan, which despite not being a reserved bird area has become a safe haven for thousands of resident and migratory birds. It highlights the extraordinary efforts of the locals (called Menarias) to make these birds feel secure in their bustling village.
Among the 29 films curated and screened from across the globe, ‘Wings of Hope’ stood out as the sole representative from India.
Wings of Hope has been made by RoundGlass Sustain along with filmmaker Gunjan Menon, a National Geographic Storytelling Explorer, a NEWF Fellow and Mentor. Her expertise lies in creating impactful wildlife and conservation stories with a focus on human and animal characters. RoundGlass Sustain worked with Menon to craft the story of the Menarias in manner that would resonate globally.
“With this film, the Menarias have pushed for conservation and change within their own communities. Menar was declared as a wetland and has been nominated to be declared a Ramsar site,” added Menon.
Roundglass Sustain is a not-for-profit organisation that has been documenting India’s rich biodiversity to create a comprehensive record of its wildlife and habitats. It has so far created more than 2200 pieces of content on its website roundglasssustain.com which include 200 videos in 12 languages, 150 photo stories, and 220 infographics.
Roundglass Sustain’s work has been recognized both in India and abroad. Recently, 6 Roundglass Sustain films have been shortlisted from 700 films globally for the Science Film Festival organised by Goethe Institut. The films will be shown in over 10 countries globally.
