United Nations Development Program (UNDP) film Himalayan Meltdown won the prestigious Platinum Award in the broadcast documentary category last weekend at the 45th Annual Worldfest International Film Festival, the oldest independent film festival in the world.
The one-hour film examines the shrinking glaciers of the Himalayas and the effects they have on the lives and livelihoods of billions of people in Asia. The movie illustrates solutions, small and large, simple and technologically complex, for coping in a changing environment that can make the difference between survival and disappearance.
Revealed: The Himalayan Meltdown aired on Discovery Channel Asia last year, and was produced by UNDP and Arrowhead Films to examine the human development impact of the glacial ice melt on communities in Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India and Nepal. It shows the plight of the affected countries and the ways they are adapting, adjusting and preparing for tomorrow’s inevitable changes in the Himalayan glaciers.
“This film highlights the challenges faced by those exposed to the effects of the Himalayan glacial melt in building resilience to the impact of climate change, and the solutions they are pursuing at the local level”, said UNDP Administrator Helen Clark. “UNDP is honored by the award and hopes the film will help stimulate a stronger international response to meeting the challenges of climate change and a stronger commitment to achieving sustainable development. The recognition the film is receiving is especially timely in the lead up to the Rio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development in June.”
“We wanted to make this movie because the glacial ice melt in the Himalayas is already altering lives and could potentially affect billions of people,” said UNDP Communications Adviser for Asia Pacific and Himalayan Meltdown Executive Producer Cherie Hart, who accepted the award on behalf of UNDP. “The film shows the ingenuity and resourcefulness of communities that are struggling to survive.”
As part of the week-long film festival in Houston, the WorldFest competition includes the following categories: TV Production, Documentary, Corporate & Business Films, Student & Experimental, TV Commercials, Film & Video Production, Music Videos, New Media (Interactive & Web Sites) and unproduced Screenplays. Himalayan Meltdown won the highest award, the Platinum Prize, in the broadcast documentary category.
According to Himalayan Meltdown, developing countries are more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, but are less able to afford to adapt to it. For them, the future is now – they must already adapt to the changing climate and prepare for an uncertain tomorrow.
The film offers examples of how countries and communities affected by the Himalayan glacier melt are responding to the problems. Technological advances from leading glaciologists, and experts at the International Center for Integrated Mountain Development, NASA and UNDP present insights into what research and applications are in progress and what still needs to be done for countries to address the Himalayan ice melt.
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