The Pangti Story, a short film about a Nagaland village’s conservation efforts, has won the Best Environment Film (non-feature film) at the 65th National Film Awards which were announced on Friday in New Delhi.

The 26 minute short film was directed by Kohima-based filmmaker Sesino Yhoshü. The film also won the Golden Beaver Award at the 7th National Science Film Festival last year.

‘The Pangti Story’ is a story about how a village of hunters could come together to become conservationists, says Sesino, who leads a production team, the Take One Production.

Amur Falcons, the migratory birds come to roost in Nagaland every year, specifically in the forested regions of Pangti village in Wokha district, from Siberia to South Africa via India and back. The village has gained accolades for its effort to protect the annual aerial visitors. For the Pangti villagers, it is not just a story of hunters who became protectors, but a struggle to deviate from a major livelihood source.

‘The Pangti Story’ explores the story about what brought down figures of over 15,000 birds being killed every day before 2012 then, to zero killing.

The main subjects of the documentary are the people who saw and experienced the transition, reflecting on what it took to bring the massive falcon harvest to a stop.

The makers of The Pangti Story will be honoured with the Silver Lotus Award (Rajat Kamal) and a cash prize.

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