The annual Green Hub Festival successfully concluded this past weekend at Greenwood Resort in Tezpur, bringing together filmmakers, conservationists, and youth activists from across Northeast India for a landmark environmental showcase on May 16-17.
The two-day event marked the culmination of the renowned Green Hub Fellowship program, where young filmmakers from the region displayed their year-long work documenting environmental challenges and community-led conservation efforts. As an annual graduation event celebrated since 2016, the festival provides a platform for fellows to showcase their films that capture crucial stories of conservation and social change.
This year’s festival featured distinguished guests including Jadav Payeng, widely known as the “Forest Man of India,” alongside Manipur’s own “Forest Man” Moirangthem Loiya. Notable filmmaker Maibam Amarjeet Singh from Manipur and Kshitiz Adhiraj, founder-director of Nepal’s Docskool collective, also shared their expertise with participants.
“The festival has evolved into much more than a graduation ceremony for our fellows,” explained a Green Hub representative at the event. “It’s become a crucial networking space where conservationists, policymakers, filmmakers, and community leaders converge to discuss pressing environmental challenges facing Northeast India.”
The event’s open format encouraged dialogue across diverse perspectives, with carefully curated sessions including community stories, expert presentations, and film screenings by the eighth batch of Green Hub Fellows. Additional highlights included exhibitions showcasing photography and Living Labs demonstrations, music performances celebrating Northeast India’s rich cultural heritage, and dedicated spaces for capacity building and knowledge sharing.
Started as a collaborative initiative between North East Network (NEN) and Dusty Foot Foundation (DFF) in 2015, the Green Hub Project has expanded beyond Northeast India to include programs in Central India and the Western Himalayas. Its growing impact was evident in additional initiatives showcased at the festival, like the Green Hub-Royal Enfield Responsible Tourism Fellowship and Conservation Grants.
As environmental challenges continue to mount across the region, the recently concluded Green Hub Festival stands as a testament to the power of visual storytelling in catalyzing conservation action and empowering local communities to protect their natural heritage.
