Wildlife film festival a success

by Nilma DOLE

Protecting wildlife is part of the Sri Lankan heritage, that is why we still have wildlife left in the island unlike in other nations where flora and fauna are gradually on the path to extinction, said veteran Sri Lankan documentary producer and film-maker Taya Diaz. He was speaking at the Wildscreen Festival 2011 held recently in Colombo. The event saw the participation of 12 UK documentary producers and film-makers who were present to train young film-makers on the art of producing wildlife documentaries.

Diaz strongly believes in educating the next generation of film-makers and environmentalists, to help preserve the breathtaking diversity of wildlife in Sri Lanka.

Diaz said, "Sri Lanka is a pot of plenty. We are just looking at the potential, but not doing anything about it. I hope this is a starting point for young film-makers to project wildlife degradation, to save it before our species become extinct."

The Wildscreen Festival, founded by Sir Peter Scott in 1982, is the world's largest and most prestigious wildlife and environmental film festival.

Wildscreen's Chief Executive Richard Edwards said, "Sri Lanka is a key destination for Wildscreen's Outreach Program because of the country's rich filmmaking heritage, and because, like many other areas of the world, the natural environment is under threat from rapid economic development and climate change".

The Department of Wildlife Conservation in Sri Lanka also presented a series of short documentaries on local flora and fauna including wildlife sanctuaries.