Mamun Srizon via UNSPLASH
The animated short “Wade”, by homegrown filmmakers Upamanyu Bhattacharyya and Kalp Sanghvi has already won numerous awards but that’s not only why it seems we should take note. The animators made the film upon returning to India to learn of the problem of rising seas and subsequent displacement of people in the Sundarban island chain. With Kolkata being so close to the Sundarbans, learning of worsening climate, displacement and even a 2019 study that warns the mangrove home of the Royal Bengal tiger could vanish, they set about to tell a story.
Their research took them deep into understanding the political and social impacts of climate change, all of which is woven into the narrative. Critics of doomsday studies may find faults with the film, which we have yet to see, but what we applaud is their motive to tell not only an uncommon tale about climate change, but one that sets the record straight: those who contribute the least to climate change are the ones most impacted by its effects. (CondeNast Traveller)