The All Living Things Environmental Film Festival has launched one of India‘s largest environmental film funds, an INR1.2 crore ($126,000) initiative backed by Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies that will provide grants to three documentary projects.
Applications are open through June 30.
The fund, developed in partnership with documentary platforms Greenstories and DocedgeKolkata, targets films built around the theme of coexistence – examining relationships between human communities, wildlife, ecology and climate across India. Beyond financing, selected filmmakers will receive mentorship, story development support, impact campaign guidance and access to distribution pathways through ALT EFF’s international network.
A second application round, led by DocedgeKolkata, opens Nov. 1 and closes Dec. 10.
“For many years, my philanthropy has supported organisations working on human-wildlife coexistence, and we have learned that communities across India have long found ways to live alongside nature,” Rohini Nilekani, chair of Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies, said. “At a time of ecological crisis, we need stories that help people reconnect with the natural world and with each other.”
The fund is specifically designed to surface projects from underrepresented regions, Tier-2 cities and communities historically absent from mainstream environmental cinema. Projects at both development and production stages are eligible.
“India has some of the most urgent, layered, and emotionally powerful environmental stories in the world, but filmmakers often lack the long-term support systems needed to bring these stories to life at a global level,” said Kunal Khanna, co-founder and festival director of ALT EFF. “Through the ALT EFF Environmental Film Fund, we want to build an ecosystem for climate storytelling in India.”
Selected films will also receive backing for impact campaigns including community screenings, educational outreach, NGO collaborations and policy engagement. ALT EFF, now in its sixth year, has screened more than 360 films from over 60 countries and drawn upwards of 50,000 attendees across India and eight additional countries.