Akansha Tiwari
Wildlife Filmmaker
Within just two years of starting a career in wildlife filmmaking, Akansha Tiwari talks honestly about the challenges of being a freelance filmmaker in India. Her upcoming projects could have the power to inspire communities and policy makers, being the first of their kind in the country. Akansha’s passion towards conservation and marine biodiversity is undoubtable.
HOW DID YOU GET INTO WILDLIFE FILMMAKING?
I’ve always wanted to be involved in wildlife, ever since I was a kid. But I couldn’t decide if I wanted to get into science and become a biologist or go into film and journalism.
I started studying science, but I soon realised that media and film was actually the route I wanted to take into the industry. I graduated in media and communications from college here in India, with technical knowledge and feeling more prepared for wildlife film. I figured I could learn the science later as I went along because I think, here in India, the media degree is slightly more important. If somebody is a media graduate then they will be a more obvious choice for wildlife film, compared to someone with a background in science with less technical understanding.
Then once I graduated, I went back to studying my bachelor’s in science. Now, I research for the qualification when I have got time. It’s always better to have things proved on paper so that nobody will doubt you – no matter how knowledgeable you are.
I've recently moved to freelancing and I've started doing independent work, which is where the short films Tangled Seas and Pass fit in. Pass is about the issue of roadkill here, while Tangled Seas is about discarded ghost nets from fishing. Both projects are the first of their kind in this country so they’ve been quite challenging to get going, but people are excited to be involved!
HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE INVOLVED IN SOME OF THE FIRST FILMS OF THEIR KIND IN INDIA?
Honestly, it has been a bit difficult, particularly as a woman in the industry. My role in these films is director or producer, so we have to go to these very remote locations to talk with small-scale fishermen for Tangled Seas (and occasionally remote areas for Pass too). When something has not been documented before it means that the locals are not used to visitors, or perhaps it is an area of conflict. For example, I’ve found that the people living in areas of negative interactions with tigers might be more used to being documented than the fisherfolk. My process for working with these communities is to demonstrate that I am on their side. I do my basic research well, so that I don’t make a fool out of myself once I arrive. I prove to them that I actually care. The most vulnerable stakeholder of an areas ecology are those who are directly connected to that ecosystem, therefore affected by the conservation issue the most. It’s important to consider their part of the story.
OF THE PROJECTS THAT YOU’VE DONE SO FAR, HAVE YOU GOT A FAVOURITE OR ONE THAT SORT OF RESONATED WITH YOU THE MOST?
I certainly have a special thing for marine conservation stories, particularly as they haven’t been documented as much as terrestrial stories. I’ve made a lot of short films related to ocean biodiversity, I feel a stronger connection to them. I also enjoyed working on things like Wild Cats of India, while I was interning at a production house. Nat Geo India commissioned a number of projects at some of the places I was interning, so those were interesting.
COULD YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR CURRENT PROJECT, TANGLED SEAS?
Sure. So we started working on Tangled Seas in 2019. The idea sparked at a conference for waste disposal in Goa when the government asked us to come up with a solution. The people in the community had questioned the local authority about the discarded nets that are in the ocean. They were aware that they’re contributing to a large chunk of the marine pollution that’s created in the area. Then somebody came to me like ‘Hey, aren’t you a filmmaker? Why don’t you make something on this?’ which I thought it was a good idea.
After some research I realised there is nothing on this. Nobody’s making a film on this; it’s not been documented. Perhaps because it involves fishermen, which is technically connected to the meat industry or seafood industry. These industries have always been seen as a controversial topic. In the film, we have focused on the community and the nets, hoping everybody feels included and are not being portrayed in a way that they wouldn’t be happy with.
As it is a crowdfunded film, we have had a few setbacks, such as the pandemic and problems with funding. On some occasions we would have a sponsor, so there would be money and we would be shooting, then we would wait for another sponsor to continue shooting the next section and so on… Now we’re in the post-production stage, working with an editor on the final cut and preparing for the release. We’d like to begin screening soon.
HOW ABOUT PASS?
We’re looking at the loss of leopards and elephants. When it came to naming Pass we were thinking about the mitigation that comes with conservation issues. So the word ‘Pass’ has many connotations, such as the overpass and underpass, or the ticket that is needed to board a train or go over a highway, as well as the term commonly used for death. The film focuses a lot on linear intrusion, such as roads, highways or railways, which leads to the deaths of animals.
This is a first of its kind as we’re incorporating a presenter into the film, which has never been done for something like this. There is such a human connection to this story, I suppose it hasn’t been done as it’s not a particularly glamorous conservation issue. We didn’t think footage with a voiceover would suit it so well.
HAVE YOU COME ACROSS ANY CHALLENGES AS A FILMMAKER IN INDIA?
Financially, there are always hurdles. With Pass, we applied for film grants but unfortunately ran into a lot of delays due to the pandemic. We are now moving onto sponsors, then once funding is sorted we will begin filming. I often think that when I’m approaching sponsors, having a male counterpart may make it easier. It isn’t so prominent, or obvious perhaps, but there is often a little gender bias.
I think safety can be a challenge. Of course, every project is different; for example, with Tangled Seas I didn’t have to worry so much as I rarely shot by myself. As long as you make sure the community is comfortable, or you can speak the local language then there will be no problems. However, I wasn’t able to go on a boat on my own so diving trips always had to be mixed, same as when I had to meet with new people – it’s easier to have a male counterpart. Occasionally there can be issues with the crew, I know one of my colleagues has had people tease her during shoots. Those kind of things happen, but they’re more of a reflection of what women go through every day. It’s also worth noting that in the community, by which I mean science and film, there are still men going through harassment or abuse. It’s not at the forefront but it is still an issue.
It’s important to remember we should not limit ourselves. As people who work in wildlife conservation, especially being women, jobs are already a scarcity. I will always want to work on conservation projects, but it other work comes up, I will rarely say no. We should always be open to picking up projects, unless it effects your mental health of course.
HAVE YOU GOT ANY THOUGHTS FOR THE FUTURE?
I’d like to focus on conservation stories, not necessarily those huge nature documentaries seen on TV as I think there are a lot of those being covered at the moment. I’ve been thinking about a couple of other short ideas and given out some scripts which I’m waiting to hear back from. For now, I’m happy focusing on my two smaller projects; Pass and Tangled Seas.
AKANSHA IS A WILDLIFE FILMMAKER FROM INDIA, YOU CAN FIND OUT MORE ABOUT HER WORK HERE.
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