Bhubaneswar: A documentary titled Boys From the Groves, highlighting community-led coastal conservation efforts in Odisha, was released Thursday on the occasion of World Environment Day at a special screening held at Utkala Rangamancha Auditorium.
The film showcases the work of coastal conservationist Soumya Ranjan Biswal and the villagers of Gundalaba, particularly youth and women, in restoring mangrove forests near Astaranga beach in Puri to combat the effects of cyclones, tidal surges and flooding.
Dharitri and OrissaPOST CEO Adyasha Satpathy, speaking at the event, praised the grassroots efforts. “One man or woman can definitely achieve a lot and create an impact,” she said. Satpathy lauded filmmaker Snehasis Das for using cinema to spotlight climate change and described the film as “an effort to create awareness among people.”
Editor of Dharitri and OrissaPOST Tathagata Satpathy, noted athlete Anuradha Biswal, and other dignitaries also attended the screening. The event also included the launch of Naali Cha, a book based on a documentary about rural Odisha.
Soumya Ranjan Biswal, founder of Odisha Paryavaran Sanrakshan Abhiyan (OPSA), emphasised the importance of mangrove restoration, calling Odisha the “disaster capital” due to its vulnerability to frequent cyclones. “Mangroves act as a shield,” he said. “Our conservation movement is a response to nature’s growing fury.”
Das credited the dedication of Gundalaba’s residents and said the film aims to spread awareness about climate change through visual storytelling. “Climate change is a vast subject. I chose short films and music videos to reach people at the grassroots level,” he said.
The documentary is directed by Snehasis Das, with Richard Mahapatra as scriptwriter and Bibhuprasad Mishra as associate editor.
PNN
