Jungwa: The Broken Balance
France/India, 2012, 53 minutes
Directors : Stanzin Dorjai Gya and Christiane Mordelet
Co-Production: Latosensu Proudctions and Himalayan Film House
Broadcasting : Ushwaia TV (France ), ARTE (Europe)
‘Jungwa’ in Ladakhi means how the 4 elements – Air, Fire, Water and Earth – are now imbalanced. The film is about the August 2010 flash floods that devastated Leh, Ladakh. Confronted with the incomprehension of a people who have always lived in harmony with their natural surroundings, this film shares with us their worries and concerns. And it speaks to us about the spiritual relationship that has always bound them to nature.
This documentary was selected among thousands of films from around the world to be shown at the United Nation's COP21 Paris Conference on climate change in 2015.
“When I started taking the footage of the aftermath, people resented me for not helping them like the rest by just standing there and shooting. However, my intentions were clear. I wanted to show the world what we had gone through because of climate change, which the world at large had been ignoring.”
Awards
Special Jury Mention, Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival, 2014, Banff, Canada
Special Jury award, Mountain International Film Festival, 2013, Autrans, France
Special Jury award, Ladakh Internatinal Film Festival, 2013, Ladakh, India
Snow Leopard award, Ladakh Internatinal Film Festival, 2013, Ladakh, India
Best public award and Grand award for best documentary film
Grand Prize, International Explorimage Film Festival of Nature and Adventure, 2016, Nice, France
selected reviews
Ravi, S, "Pitching for the Middle," The Hindi, 2/14/2016.
"Jungwa: The Broken Balance - Some Thoughts," 3/14/2017.