Planet India: Global and Indian Filmmakers Unite to Shine a Spotlight on Indian Grassroots Climate Heroes

Planet India

In a first-of-its-kind effort, world-leading filmmakers have collaborated with top Indian cinematographers and content creators to empower India's environmental heroes to share their innovations with the world. In doing so, they will inspire further action to protect our planet.

Planet is a storytelling campaign inspired by ‘jugaad' - a Hindi word which means thinking creatively to solve problems with limited resources, and a philosophy which is driving climate innovation across India. Working with the best creatives in India, Planet India has filmed climate and biodiversity stories, from various angles, across the subcontinent, in diverse locations ranging from the mountains of Himachal Pradesh, the bustle of New Delhi, and the forests of Assam to the lakes of Bangalore, showing how people - all aged 35 or under - are responding with ingenuity to the urgent climate challenge. This world-class footage captured for the project will be shared on the soon-to-be-launched free-to-use Open Planet visual library, allowing other storytellers access to content that would have previously been out of reach.

Launching ahead of the G20 Summit in New Delhi, this ambitious campaign will reach 200 million people nationally and much more globally, then inviting everyone to share their own unique Planet India stories, building a climate-positive community and inspiring optimism and further action across the world.

The campaign has been designed and led by India's leading creator economy platform, People Like Us Create (PlucTV) and Studio Silverback, the team behind Sir David Attenborough's Our Planet and A Life on Our Planet. It has been made possible with generous philanthropic support from DP World, the world's leading provider of smart logistics solutions.

More details will be released when the campaign launches with a gala screening in Delhi on the 5th of September, ahead of the G20 Leaders' Summit, bringing together leading storytellers, environmental leaders, filmmakers, content creators and celebrities and garnering international attention for India's climate-positive creativity.

Tamseel Hussain, Founder and CEO of PlucTV, said, "India is on the frontline of climate change, and we are responding with urgency and creativity to safeguard our beautiful country. Young people and communities from across the country are putting forward tangible solutions to fight the crisis, and our creators are driving the conversation forward. This will be the biggest, most innovative storytelling campaign of its kind ever attempted in India, and it has been an honour to partner with the makers of Sir David Attenborough's iconic documentaries that have inspired so many. Planet India is going to change the game."

Colin Butfield, Co-Founder and Executive Producer of Studio Silverback, said, "India is underrepresented in the global discussion of climate and nature solutions, despite the huge amount of innovation and action coming from the people of this country. We have been inspired by what we have seen in India and feel it is vital that we share these stories that matter and have the power to inspire an optimistic global narrative about the role we can all play to save our planet."

Rizwan Soomar, DP World's CEO and Managing Director for the Indian Subcontinent, Middle East and North Africa said, "Our support for Planet India is part of our commitment to creating a better future for everyone. We look forward to sharing the stories of people who are tirelessly driving positive change in their communities to address climate challenges. India is a country rich in nature and innovation, and these stories need to be told to a wider audience and celebrated. It is especially heartening to bring these stories from across the country to the forefront in this historic year of the Indian G20 Presidency."