THE FILM
Two female filmmakers armed with nothing but cameras in a highly militarized
war zone
In November 2017 Carina Chavda (producer) and Tammy Khajotia (director) went to war-torn Kashmir to document climate change, and the plight of the 30,000 saffron farming families dependent on a crop that has seen a 95% reduction. Saffron is a metaphor of vulnerability in this documentary, because there is so much more to this problem. A $50million government funded 'National Saffron Mission' was set up to save the industry in 2010, and has all but failed. Corruption and negligence feed the inequality and injustices faced by the local saffron growers. 16 cement factories which do not have pollution control devices as per law are permitted to function despite completely decimating wildlife, agriculture and the health of the society in the surrounding areas. Kashmir being a war-torn region, forces the local community to deal with government shutdowns, human rights violations, security threats, on top of the unforgiving wrath of climate change.
THE FACTS
The Kashmiri people are on the frontlines of the Climate crisis. It is estimated that they are seeing the effects of climate change
10 years ahead the rest of the world.
“Even if global warming is limited to 1.5° [Celsius, or 2.7° Fahrenheit] by end of the century—and you could call it a miracle if that happens—the high mountains are likely to warm even more,”
- Arun Shrestha, Climate Scientist at ICIMOD
THE MISSION
Be the voice.
We hope this film gives a voice to the silenced people of Kashmir.
We want to raise awareness of the plight of the farmers, the locals, and the residents who are stuck in a conflict that was not of their making. A place in which they have limited rights and freedoms, but the only one they have ever called home.
Stay tuned - we will be setting up a fund to help the farmers of the Kashmir Valley.