 |
|||
We have over 3000 hours of material in our stock archive, with an original focus on South Asia, but more recently also an increasingly global content footprint. Here is a sampling of some of the categories and themes present in the collection. 98% of the footage has been shot on PAL, with the remaining 2% on NTSC and 24 fps. Over 70% of the footage has been acquired on top-end Sony digital component formats such as DVCAM, Digital Betacam, HDV and HDCAM.top |
|||
|
Some thirty hours of Heli skiing and snow boarding footage, taken from skis and from the air, by one of the best cameramen in New Zealand, also perhaps the best ‘skiing cameraman’ worldwide. (Format: Digital Betacam; 30 hours) Trekking in Garhwal : several locales. Pilot for a series on adventure sports: A trek to Dodital. (Format: Betacam SP; 4 hours.) Mountaineering in the Himalaya. Sequences from expeditions such as Indo-Tibetan Border Police Swargarohini expedition in 1990, Dartmouth Black Peak Himalayan Expedition in 1991, American collegiate Hanuman Ganga expedition in 1994, Indian Army Everest Expedition in 2001, Nanda Devi IMF Expedition in 2001 (Various Formats; 20 hours) Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) Adventure Film: Parasailing, mountaineering, trekking, ice climbing, mountaineering museum visit, artificial rock climbing walls, obstacle courses, rapelling, river crossing, equipment examination and checkout, tenting and camping, bushcraft, icecraft, climbing around Beaskund, Shitidhar, Manali peaks and kayaking, canoeing and boating at Pong Dam. (Format: DVCAM; 14 hours) Nanda Devi Sanctuary Expedition, Uttaranchal, high Himalaya: Lata village, Lata Kharak, Behelta, Dharanshi, Malatuni, Dibrughetta, Rishi Ganga river crossing, Sarsarpatal, Devisthan, Nanda Devi East and West peaks, Ramani. First visit and rare film sequences after a gap of twenty years. The inner sanctuary is still closed to the outside world. One of the most inaccessible regions of the world. (Format: Digi Beta, DVCAM; 20 hours) Chambal car rally and boat safari, on this river that runs into the Yamuna, and is surrounded by once dacoit infested ravines. Adventure sports festival held in Delhi with rappelling, skydiving, bungee jumping, rock climbing and various other activities in and around Delhi More than one hundred hours of helicopter flying time spent filming from helicopters in the valleys of Himachal Pradesh including Manali, Bara Bangahal, Parvati, Lahaul, Spiti, Rohtang, and Chandrabhaga, Padum – Zanskar and Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, Assam and West Kameng, Siang, Itanagar, Along, Lower Subansiri (Arunachal Pradesh). Views of the Brahmaputra river from the air. Taking off from Guwahati and landing in Itanagar or Bhalukpong in Arunachal. Filming in minus forty degrees during the winter months, with the cameraman strapped outside the helicopter, and the doors removed, and flying at up to 20, 000 feet altitude. (Format: Digi Beta, DVCAM; 100 hours.) Helicopter skiing, other adventure sports, wildlife viewing from helicopters and military evacuation helicopter flights. (Format: Digi Beta, DVCAM; 10 hours.) Includes footage shot from a Bell 407 helicopter, with a specially adapted ‘Choppercam’. Also, views into the Jagatsukh nalla, flights from Manali to Pinjore and back to Manali, Manali to Bara Bangahal and back, Manali to Jiri near Manikaran, into the Parvati valley, and to the base of Ali Ratni Tibba, from all across Jammu and Kashmir, including Ladakh and Siachen. (Format: Digital Betacam; 20 hours.) Delhi - Bagdogra, Delhi - Kathmandu, Kathmandu - Paro (Bhutan), Delhi - Mumbai flights / aerials. Kanchenjunga, Everest and other peaks of Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan and India, from the air. Includes some stunning close-ups on the entire Mt. Everest range, shot on High Definition, from a plane flying at 32, 000 feet altitude. (Format: HDV; 1 hour) Siachen Glaicer region, Kashmir, from the air. This is the region that falls under heavy protection from the Indian Army, with bunkers and constant army presence throughout the year, at altitudes of up to 22, 000 feet! This is the world’s highest battlefield. Aerials from Iceland : rivers and wide valleys, meadows, mountains, villages and skyscapes. Aesthetic Nature and Outdoors Footage: Times lapses of water lilies opening and closing, during the daytime. Time lapses of cloud formations, around the high mountains of the Himalaya. Over 5 hours of material taken from right across the Himalaya, including the Nanda Devi Sanctuary in Uttaranchal, Sagarmatha -Everest National Park in Nepal, Kanchenjunga National Park in Sikkim, Spiti, Manali valley and other parts of the Himalaya. Different representations of the seasons of the plains and the mountains of India. Vignettes of Himalayan spring, summer, monsoon, fall and winter seasons. (Format: Digital Betacam, Betacam, Mini DV.) The Aravallis, one of the oldest mountain ranges in India, mining problems, trucks removing stone, sand and ore, aforestation drives, tree plantation work, forest department activities (Format: Betacam SP; 6 hours) Khumbu Icefall in Sagarmatha National Park, Nepal. Images of seracs, crevasses, crevasse ladder crossings by mountaineers, glacial streams, jet stream clouds, ice melting, snowfall, glacial till, glacial moraine, and other geographic features. Mountain Quail Expedition 2001-2002 : looking for an extinct species, camping out, transects for search, Osprey, Himalayan landscapes and vistas, Mussoorie, Landour, Pari Tibba, Kanda, Jabberkhet, Black Bulbul, White-eye, Deodars – Himalayan Cedar, (Format: DVCAM; 10 hours) Solar eclipse, sulphur hot water springs with sulphur water gushing out from deep within the earth, tsunami aftermath, dust storm, snow storm, snowfall taking place, monsoon rains arriving, April mango showers, avalanche taking place. Garden and colourful cultivated flowers: Profusion of poppy, Calendula, Lupin, Chrysanthemum, larkspur, lilies, daffodils, nargis – narcissus, Amaryllis lily, Californian poppies, Foxglove, orchids, Clematis, Camelia, Rhododendron, primula – primrose, morning glory, carnation, and hundreds more. (High Definition HDV; 10 hours.) Indian dance forms: Mohiniattam, Kuchipudi, Kathakali, Bharatanatyam, and more. We have a specialized collection on the dances of the Indian states, such as from Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Rajasthan (Kalbelia dance of the snake people) and Madhya Pradesh. We have extensive collections on the dance forms of Nepal and Bhutan. Siddhis originally came from Sudan, as salt workers, many centuries ago. Today, they have become Indian citizens and live in the natural forest habitat of the Asiatic Lion at Gir in Gujarat. The Siddhis have retained their African features, culture, music and dance, despite having added on Hindi as their main language, Indian customs and habits, apart from Indian passports, lifestyles and jobs. We have a unique collection on their music and dance forms, perhaps never recorded before in such a way. Army Bands playing in New Delhi: shot with a background of the Central Secretariat, the esplanade, the President’s Estate – Rashtrapati Bhawan, and India Gate. (Format HDCAM High Definition, 2 hours) 61st Cavalry riding prowess display with military bands in attendance, on New Delhi’s polo grounds. Many known faces of Delhi’s high society make their presence felt on such occasions, and the riding and polo displays are internationally competitive. (Format DVCAM, 5 hours) Military massed marching bands displaying before the President of India, and a select gathering, at the Beating of the Retreat ceremony, held before the North and South block on Rajpath and the Presidential esplanade, held on 29th January each year. Due to highly restricted access, other than the governmental broadcaster, scarcely any private filmmakers are allowed access to film this event. We obtained special governmental approval to extensively film the event over two consecutive years. Republic Day parade – an annual feature on 26th January – the day India became a sovereign Republic in 1950. Tableaux from every Indian state, military bands and march - pasts, displays of military might, camel mounted and other regiments of the Indian army, an air force flypast, and large audiences. Air Force Day at Palam airport – marchpast, helicopter display, Surya Kiran aircraft doing aerobatics and creating the tricolour / tricolor of the national flag, with coloured plumes of exhaust, in the air. Indo-French aircraft and flight display: Top jets of the Indian air force battling the French air force in a simulated war exercise. (HDCAM and Digi Beta) Indian Army Mt. Everest Expedition 2001 – a detailed story of the Indian Army applying their defense tactics on the Himalaya, and succeeding in placing a dozen climbers on the summit of the peak, as the culmination to a four month expedition, covered by us with four camera units. (Digi Beta and DVCAM). Border regions around India, including Indo - Bhutanese, Indo - Tibetan, IndoChinese, Indo - Myanmar, Indo - Nepalese and Indo - Pakistani borders, from the ground and in some cases, from the air as well. These borders are also protected by the Indian Army and are high security zones with access only allowed after high - level civilian security clearances. In one instance, we were requested by the Indian army to film certain secret bunkers, highway developments and habitations being constructed by the Chinese on their side of the border. Includes sites of the Indo - China war in the 1960’s. National Defence Academy, Khadakvasla / Kharakvasla with Sudan House, Pune, and Indian Military Academy, Dehra dun : passing out parades, life as a cadet, classrooms, and more. Education, Schools and Colleges: Scindia School, Gwalior, one of the oldest educational institutions in India. Here, students study within an ancient fort premises, atop a hill. The school was originally built for the scions of royal families, and now has a large civilian student population. Among a large cross-section of student life imagery, we have student life, teaching and morning assembly and prayers in the main school assembly hall. Schools and colleges in New Delhi. We have a large collection of images of student-life in India, in schools and colleges across the city, and across the country, students at work and play, students using mobile phones and computers, in classrooms, in laboratories, on vacation, on outward bound trips to the mountains and rivers, teachers, faculty, principals and headmasters and headmistresses at work. Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) Adventure Film: images of students undertaking a wide range of outdoor activities, group discussions, training sessions and student gatherings. Receiving instruction in classrooms, working in groups in the field, coordinated play and confidence building activities such as river crossing and rock climbing. (Format DVCAM; 6 hours) Going to School in different parts of India: the challenge of education as faced by people living in harsh circumstances and conditions – in the desert, rainforest, on a large lake, alongside a torrential river, in the mountains, and in the city. We also have images of advanced technical training institutes, such as medical, information technology, architecture, software, electronics and other areas of excellence, including institutions such as the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT). Yamuna River, the river that runs through Delhi: dead fish, pollution, detergent and soap foam and runoff, open sewage drains entering the river, industrial effluent and unburned dead bodies floating in water. Immersion of idols in lakes and water bodies, during Hindu festivals, leading to water pollution. Industrial air pollution from factories, chimneys and industrial processes. Tins, cans and other metal containers, oxygen cylinders, rusting metal, broken glass and other non biodegradable products dumped in the Nanda Devi Sanctuary in the Himalaya, by visiting mountaineering expeditions. Himalayan meadows soiled with food containers, plastic, and general garbage, in Dibrughetta Meadow, Uttaranchal. Hill-station untreated non recycled garbage thrown down a forested hillside in Landour, Uttaranchal. Bare and deforested hillside and slopes, lopped trees and cleared forests, making way for agriculture. Vehicular pollution on the streets of Delhi, with black exhaust coming out of vehicles’ exhaust pipes. Also, the recent conversion to CNG fleet of commercial vehicles and the consequent reduction in vehicular pollution levels. Wind energy farms in South India, windmills, with valleys and fields of wind energy generating turbines. (Format: Digi Beta; 2 hours) Shots of Ganesha drinking milk : a rumour was spread that idols of the Hindu elephant god Ganesha were drinking milk that was poured over them as offerings (akin to the bleeding Christ rumour). Footage of hysterical Hindus believing in this, and worshipping at temples. Footage of a rare cow with six legs living a normal life along the roads of New Delhi. Imagery of the conjoined twins Saba and Farah, from Bihar, India. Slow halal / hallal slaughter of a camel and a goat as part of a religious sacrifice, cow and pig slaughter, dog - catching for food and carcasses / meat of barking deer being sold in a market. United Nations AIDS Day concert on 1st December 1996, in New Delhi, with Sonia Gandhi as the Chief Guest. Multi-camera shoot, with four broadcast cameras in a component switching configuration. Charkhi Dadri plane collision – gruesome footage of the remains of two Jumbo jets that collided mid-air, resulting in the death of all on board both the planes. Images include ghastly sights of charred bodies and aircraft fuselage parts on the ground, shortly after the mid-air collision. Holi, Diwali (largest Hindu festival), Lohri, Christmas, Dussehra (burning of mammoth Ravana effigies, filled with fire-crackers), Id-ut-Fitr, Id-ul-zuha (Bakr Id), Muharram, Durga Puja, Ganesh Chaturthi, Jewish Hanukkah and Parsi festivals, and a variety of festivals and rituals in great detail from Hindi, Muslim, Christian, Zoroastrian / Parsi, tribal and animist religions and belief systems. Nanda Devi Raj Jat Yatra, in August-September 2001. Three weeks of extensive coverage of this once-in-twelve-year festival that takes a procession of pilgrims on a hazardous and arduous climb from 6000 feet altitude to the 18, 000+ feet high Himalayan tarn at Roopkund, at the base of Trishul and Nanda Devi, among the highest peaks in the Western Himalaya. Footage of Trishul, Nanda Ghunti and Chaukhamba peaks. Also, the famous buggyals (grasslands and meadows) of Garhwal - Bedni and Ali Buggyal. Roopkund lake has perfectly preserved scattered bones, skulls and skeletons, dating back 400-600 years. The cause of their death has been speculated and studied widely and a recent theory puts it down to a large hailstorm that caused massive hailstones, thus crushing the skulls of the camping pilgrims. We have extensive shots of the excavated and exposed leathered and naturally mummified bodies, often replete with footwear, and the raw mountain environment of the lake, rocky meadows and high Himalayan peaks. The pilgrimage procession follows the progress of a four-horned goat that has to be initially found for the pilgrimage to take place. The goat leads the party of tens of thousands of people from the low Himalaya through this long trek to the high Himalaya, at which point it is allowed to wander off into the high altitude meadows, on its own. Imagery includes a lot of festive pomp, temple offerings, religious fervour, chanting and people in trance-like situations, with frenzied and dervish like dancing. (Format: Digital Betacam, 14 hours.) New Delhi : traffic shots, beggars and urchins, hawkers, Dilli Haat – arts and craft being sold by artisans at state stalls, street performers, acrobats, tight rope walking, Indian rope trick being performed, fire eaters performing, urban bazaars, markets, crowds, street food, Okhla barrage, Yamuna river, mango festival, monsoon breaking in Delhi, aerial shots from the tops of buildings, Five Star hotels, Daryaganj, ITO (Income Tax Office), Pahargunj, New Delhi Railway Station, Indira Gandhi International Airport, Palam airport, rare shots taken with permission from within Indira Gandhi International Airport, landing on runway, taxiing to airport building and disembarking, planes landing and taking off from airport, Parliament buildings, slums and slum dwellers, demolition of slums, Talkatora indoor stadium, tonga / horse carriages, colleges and schools, Delhi Gymkhana Club, Chandni Chowk – the walled city, Jama Masjid, flyovers, India Gate, Delhi Zoo, spice market, flea markets, Humayun’s Tomb, Red Fort, Old fort, Sikh temples / gurudwaras, Hindi temples, Jain temples, Parsi anjuman, Lotus temple / Bah’ai / Bahai temple (lotus shaped: extensive studies of the temple, by day and lit up at night), Railway Museum, Jewish Synogogue, Rajghat, churches, shopping malls, Jantar Mantar and Connaught Place. Tihar Jail, Delhi (the largest jail in India) : Inside the central jail, morning prayer, lunch, hospital, prisoners leaving for court, establishing shots of the jail, crèche inside the jail, family counseling, general shots. Delhi Ridge Forest : (Format: Betacam SP; 3 hours) Hyderabad (Andhra Pradesh), Bangalore (Karnataka) and Chennai : the New technology hubs. Shimla, Mussoorie, Darjeeling, Thimphu and Manali : Night footage of south Asia’s hill station towns. Also, Year 2000 celebrations with celebratory lighting in the lower Himalayan hill station towns. Uttaranchal : Hemkund pilgrimage in Uttaranchal, a holy destination for the Sikh community. The four main sources and temples of the Ganga or the Ganges: Yamunotri, Kedarnath, Badrinath and Gangotri. High mountain peaks including Shivling, Mana, Bhagirathi, Kedarnath and Kedar Dome, Rudragaira, Gangotri, Chirbas, Nanda Devi, Devisthan, Panchchuli, Chaukhamba, Banderpunch, and many more. Maharashtra : Mumbai night shots, business, seascapes, Oberoi and Taj Mahal hotels, Gateway of India, pigeons being fed by passersby, BMC (Brihanmumbai Municipal Committee) office, boat pier, ships, Arabian Sea, shops, people dining, schools and colleges, large businesses, Nariman Point, Victoria Terminus building, time lapses of officegoers and traffic, Crawford Market, Haji Ali mosque / dargah, Marine Drive, Churchgate, Flora Fountain, children playing in Arabian Sea. Gujarat : Ahmedabad – Jumma Masjid, market and traffic shots, Junagarh, Porbander, Bhavnagar, Alang ship breaking yard, ship graveyard, workers working under dangerous conditions, international ships being cut down and recycled for scrap, ship graveyard. Alang is largely prohibited for filmmaker, so access is rare and difficult to obtain. Hence, this is a rare documentation of the process of cannibalizing large international ships, and recycling their materials, all this being done with the most basic of tools and under very dangerous and difficult working conditions. (The French Clemenceau is currently headed for destruction at Alang.) (Format: DVCAM; 6 hours) Karnataka : Bangalore city landmarks, technology parks, Whitefield, Infosys Technologies (NASDAQ listed top Indian Information Technology company) campus, other IT company buildings, traffic on roads, software and tech staff entering IT campus, call center employees and company buildings, Lalbagh botanical gardens, state legislature building or Vidhan Sabha, Karnataka High Court, Jama Masjid road, St. Mary’s procession, St. Mary’s Church, General Post Office building, Spencer House, Ulsoor Lake, fossil tree, old Banyan tree covering several acres of land, Bangalore art museum building, Vishvesvarya industrial and technological museum, statue of Queen Victoria, Capan Park, Shivaji Nagar, railway station building. Kerala : the backwaters of Kerala, traffic, people, Cochin, shipping industry, naval warships. Himachal Pradesh : Manali - townscapes, Beas river, town shots, people, mountains, forests, snowfall, motor roads. Dharamshala – extensive town and people shots. West Bengal : Darjeeling, toy train, Darjeeling Zoo/ Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park, shops, Mall Road, Keventer’s, Planter’s Club, tea gardens. Uttar Pradesh : Agra town, Taj Mahal, Shivaji Smarak, Agra Fort / Red Fort, Oberoi Amarvilas Hotel (one of the most expensive hotels in India, starting at $1000 per room night), Sikandra town, Sikandra fort, Fatehpur Sikri, Awagarh, Chambal dacoit infested ravines and riverine region, car rally through the Chambal ravines, boating on the Chambal, Allahabad – the religious heartland for Hindus (16 hours.) Andaman and Nicobar Islands : tribals and villages, Port Blair, Jarawa and Onge tribals and other endangered human communities (including one tree dwelling tribe), with populations down to a few dozen or a few hundreds, shots of the rare Nicobar Pigeon. Jammu and Kashmir : Srinagar, Pahalgam, Sonmarg / Sonamarg, Leh, Amarnath Yatra, Nagin and Dal Lakes. Punjab : Ropar, Anandpur Saheb Sikh community temple / gurudwara, Tercentenary celebrations of the Khalsa Sikhs, bullock and bull races, human wrestling, rural athletics. Chandigarh : Rock garden, imagery of this city planned by the famous town planner Corbusier, lifestyle, lakes, people shopping, students, hospitals. Sikkim : Yuksom, Bakhim, Tsokha, Dzongri, Kanchenjunga National Park. Views from Dzongri of the high peaks of the Kanchenjunga range, early morning sunrises and time lapses, forest types, birds etc. Also, aerial High Definition footage of Kanchenjunga. (Format: DV; 5 hours.) Chitrakut and Uttarkashi : extensive shots of sadhus, Nachiketa temple, lakes, temples, families doing puja or prayer, Nageshwar temple and river with rainbow. (Format Mini DV; 10 hours) Arunachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttaranchal, Mizoram, Nagaland, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Karnataka : A large amount of footage related to the people, places and the wilderness of these states are present in our stock. Assam : Extensive collection of 69 hours of material on wildlife, people, culture, Bihu festival, fishing, forest department personnel at work in the field, elephant and barking deer killed on highway passing through Kaziranga National Park, Indian One-horned Rhino or Rhinoceros, Golden Langur, Black - necked Crane, rare footage of an Elephant killing and eating fish and of a tiger flying through the air in attacking a domestic elephant and landing on its trunk right next to the mahout, festivals, boat journeys, rare Gangetic Dolphin footage, poaching, trucks and vehicles on a national highway, and much more. Nagaland, Mizoram, Manipur and Meghalaya : Extensive coverage of the land and people of the north eastern states of India: rice beer preparation, train journeys in the north east, hunting and poaching activities, fishing by way of blasting / dynamiting / netting and using bamboo fishing traps, setting bird traps in the forest, assembling and manufacturing dynamite sticks, setting up traps and snares for wildfowl, village life, commerce and industry, boating, wildlife tracking, weaving, art and culture, cuisine, slash and burn or jhum cultivation, hunting of wild felines, images of skulls, skins from old hunts, village rice mill in operation, husking rice, communal rice beer consumption, preparing cotton for weaving, basket making, folk music, song and dance, Catholic churches, pig slaughter for communal feast, cow slaughter, Barking Deer poaching and sale in marketplace, rivers and dams, dog slaughter and consumption, grubs and snails being collected for consumption, images of Elephant Falls in Shillong, local music bands, prayer halls and ceremonies, Besi puja religious ceremony (held once in five years). (Format DVCAM; 21 hours) Jaisalmer footage : Rajasthan desert images, people living at the edge of the dunes, Camels, local artisans, forts and palaces. Also Ajmer, Pushkar mela / fair, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Jaipur, Udaipur. (Mini DV; 2 hours) Goa : Portuguese influences in architecture, town planning and culture. Marmagoa port, Majorda beach, seascapes, bars, cafes, sunbathing by beach, waves in ocean, people swimming in ocean, coconut and palm trees, hotels, ships passing by, local brew (Feni) and churches. (Digi Beta; 10 hours) Cochin, Calicut and Trivandrum : back-waters, cashew cashew nut plantations, hotels, seascapes, crabs, coconut trees, Dolphins in backwaters, squid, bridge across an oceanic estuary, sea fish, fishing, elephant festival, Pongal bull fight, Sabarimala pilgrimage, procession of elephants as seen from rooftops of town houses, temples, villages and lifestyle images. Indian History / Archival Collections: Gandhi archival material, Indian freedom struggle footage and Satyagraha footage. (1 hour.) Tercentenary of the Khalsa Sikhs : twelve hours of footage on the event. (Beta SP; 12 hours) Jim Corbett, the legendary hunter turned conservationist: footage of his home at Kaladhungi in Uttaranchal, Nainital lake, pictures of his dog Robin’s grave, his sitting room, personal belongings and garden. (Format: Digi Beta; 1 hour). Jim Corbett’s and F. W. Champion’s original 16 mm camera film footage, after telecine to Digital Betacam videotapes, from 1931 to 1939. Subject matter includes leopard and tiger shoots, maneaters, ground hides and tree machans / machaans / tree platforms, fishing for mahseer, big game hunting in India and Africa, lion, cheetah and elephant, African safaris, honey hunting in the forest and beekeeping in India, yachting on Nainital lake with a large trophy being given away by a British chief guest, with European ladies in the audience wearing large sun hats, vignettes of British India and rural Indian lifestyles from the 1930’s period. The material is shot in black & white and colour, and is of a very high quality, despite its age and scratchy old film origins. (Digital Betacam tele-cine material; 15 hours) We are currently acquiring two collections of 70 to 95 year old 8 mm and 16 mm film footage from two of the erstwhile Indian states. This will be tele-cine’ed to Digital Betacam and DVCAM, and the subject matter will include royal weddings, state processions, ceremonies, lifestyle of the times, life in a maharaj’s palace, old cars, jewellery, palace banquets, villages, hunting and shikar and other vignettes from the period. Sudan : Sudanese music and dance forms. (DVCAM; 4 hours) Nepal : Extensive shots of Nepal, driving to Kathmandu, landing at Kathmandu airport, embarking onto Cosmos Airlines plane, VIP dignitary alighting from Mercedes on tarmac, Tribhuvan International Airport building, runway, passengers inside plane, taking off from Kathmandu airport, view of city from the air, baggage handling facilities, airport staff on runway. Extensive footage on the drive from New Delhi to Kathmandu, as part of an expedition to Mt. Everest. Also, the entire journey from Kathmandu to Everest Base Camp, including towns along the way, Lukla Air strip, Jiri, Pheriche, Thyangboche, approach march, wildlife along the way – Thar (a rare Himalayan ungulate – Hemitragus jemlahicus), Monal Pheasant (national bird of Nepal), Tibetan Snowcock, Primula flowers, Rhododendron shrubs, and a lot more. Bhutan : The Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan. From Paro in the west to Tashigang in the East, including beautiful landscapes, handicrafts and Dzongs – the fortified monasteries of Bhutan. The unveiling of the ‘thongdrel’ – the thirty foot high and fifty foot wide thangka or ancient religious painted banner on the Guru Rimpoche – the one who brought Buddhism to Bhutan. This religious banner is brought out for public viewing for only a few hours on the Guru Rimpoche’s birthday each year. We have filmed this on Digital Betacam in 1999 and on High Definition HDV in 2005, on that particular day which falls around 19th June each year. Access to Bhutan is heavily restricted, and few western visitors get to enter each year. Filming is not permitted for the most part, so this footage provides a rare and high quality glimpse into life in Bhutan. Dzongs are religious fortified monasteries, seat of civil and religious power of the Drukpas or Druks, and are present around Bhutan. We have images of all the important ones, including Tashichho, Thimphu Dzong, Paro Dzong, Kurjey, Ta Dzong, Tashigang Dzong, Nyimalung, Jakar, Trongsa, Wandue Phodrang and Tashiyangtse. Also monuments at Chhendibji and Tashigangdzong – the only two Chortens in Bhutan, built in the Nepalese style, with eyes painted at the four cardinal points. We also have the largest collection of footage on the dance and musical forms of Bhutan, shot during various festivals between 1982 and 2006. Lifestyle in Bhutan : prayer flags, archery practice on the palace grounds near Tashichho Dzong, pheasant farm, lemon grass cultivation and processing in eastern Bhutan, mustard oil extraction process in factory, beer making process and factory for Red Panda brand in central Bhutan, marketplaces in central Bhutan – Bumthang, and Thimphu – the capital city. Weaving and other Bhutanese handicrafts at Chume village, architecture, carpentry, design and construction including the placement of a traditional Bhutanese window frame into a building. Festival atmosphere, with crowds and flea markets. Family life, farm life, urban and rural life, kids playing cricket, going to school, visiting the local monastery. Bhutan : East-west motorway, Thimphu cityscapes, buildings lit up at night, King’s Coronation celebrations, Senior government officials hosting a state dinner for visiting dignitaries, with traditional Bhutanese masked dances. Archery on the palace grounds, Thimphu Chhu river and Takin (Budorcus taxicolor : a rare animal from South Asia, found only in Bhutan and the north east Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh) captive breeding center, Views of Thimphu valley from hilltop, Bhutan Broadcasting transmission tower hilltop. Tashigang in eastern Bhutan, Tashigang Dzong views and life inside the monastery, Thromsingla / Thumsingla pass, Pele La and Dochula passes. Central Bhutan, Bumthang and Mongar, Life in the villages and across the country. (Format: Digital Betacam; 12 hours.) Dubai : undersea tunnel, airport, buildings, cityscapes, shopping centers, highways, cityscapes, skyline. (DVCAM; 3 hours) Singapore : Singapore Zoo night safari, Jurong Bird Park, Aquarium, Raffles Hotel, Singapore River, the Merlion statue, Chinese temple, monorail, Sentosa Beach, Sentosa underwater world, fountain and laser show, tram station, inside trains / trams, harbour, views from the tops of buildings, general cityscapes and the night lights in Singapore. (DVCAM; 6 hours) Malaysia : Cityscapes, buildings, Petronas Twin Towers, drive though the city, palace of the King of Malaysia, War Memorial, church, National Mosque, Orchid Garden etc. South Africa and Swaziland : dances, villages, rural lifestyle, people, highways, border crossing. (DVCAM; 2 hours) Palau and Yap Islands, Micronesia, Western Pacific Ocean : This collection includes stunning imagery of shipwrecks, seascapes, the private lives of sea fish, coral reefs, sharks, whales, manta rays, rainbow fish, octopus and a wide variety of human interest stories relating to the sea, the stone currency of Palau island, diving and sea life. Includes 30 hours of Palau underwater, 9 hours of the Mandarin fish stock that was used to make a short film on the Rainbow Fish, 13 hours of Manta Rays and around 5 hours of excellent work on different shark species. WFIL exclusively represents the largest collection of still and video imagery from Palau and Yap, through an arrangement with our partner there. (DVCAM; 50 hours) Manta Rays : 10 hours of good clear footage including animals approaching and passing by the camera. Cleaning station behavior, mating season behavior, attempted mating (very rare) and close up shots focusing mainly on the head and underbelly, as the animals pass. We also have a few shots of Mantas appearing in the same shots (background and foreground) as Turtles and sharks. Sharks : 2 hours of good broadcast quality shots. Mainly feeding behavior at staged feeds. Includes Tiger shark footage as two animals eat a Manta Ray, but not making the kill. This footage in itself is very rare due to the pelagic characteristic of the Tiger Shark as a species. We also have Grey Reef sharks at staged feeds, hitting the camera, fast approaches, etc. Also, White Tip Reef sharks in natural surroundings on the reef, swimming by or lying on the sand. Blacktip Reef Sharks at feeds and on the reef. Other profile stock imagery includes Nurse Sharks, Leopard Sharks and a very quick encounter with a Whale Shark. Assorted Marine Life : 20 hours. Turtles, Spotted Eagle Rays, Moray Eels, Garden Eels, Feather tail Stingrays, Marbled Stingrays, and many Reef fish species too numerous to list. Macro : 4 hours of good quality close up imagery of Nudibranchs (colorful underwater slugs) Mandarin fish, Shrimps, Crabs, Squid, Cuttlefish, Octopus species / Octopi, Coral Polyps, Whip Corals, Commensal shrimp and crabs (symbiotic relationships with hosts) Iceland : People, lifestyle, hills, wild / feral horses, horseback riding across wide open spaces and meadows, fjords, mountains, hot springs, streams, icy cold desert, home interiors, schools, bays, time lapses with sunlight and clouds, waterfalls, meadows, sunsets, clouds, life inside a wooden cabin, crossing cable bridge in wooden cable car, padre / priest giving sermon in pastoral church setting, gravestones in meadow, sheep dogs, horses on cross-country expedition, country church, cooking in kitchen, community dining, festivities, horses cantering across grassland and galloping through stream, examining archaeological human remains and bones, horse corral, aerials from helicopter, crane and jib shots of choir on river bridge location, walking on permafrost, burial of coffin in cemetery. WFIL exclusively represents the largest collection of still and video imagery from Iceland, through an arrangement with our partner in Iceland. (DVCAM; over 25 hours) Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh : we are currently negotiating purchase of copyright to collections from these countries. - Caterpillars of different sizes and colours Spas : Ananda in the Himalaya – voted by Conde Nast Traveller as the best spa in the world: massages, therapies, yoga, outdoor heated swimming pool, Tehri Palace lit up at night, library, old books and collections, gardens, Rishikesh and Haridwar, Ganga (Ganges river) from the Himalaya, storm in a Himalayan forest. Vatika City, Gurgaon. A collation of imagery from one of the largest real estate residential projects in north India. The city of Gurgaon is a showcase for the modern Indian city, with high rise buildings, city centers, malls, multiplex cinema halls, residential complexes, office buildings, commercial areas, and gardens. This footage collection reflects the modern Indian urban lifestyle, including health clubs, restaurants, modern Indian homes, office environments, villa living, resort culture, architecture and art galleries. Family life images : by the poolside, images of driving in modern cars, corporate executives going to work and in the work place, shopping, mall and multiplex culture, and recreation. All footage is on high end Digital Betacam and was shot using cranes and tracks and trolleys, so it is of superlative quality. Lead singer of the erstwhile Boney M in concert in Gurgaon – urban concert culture with a young audience attending a popular music concert, large crowds – hands in the air, open air concert milieu, with projection screens and high wattage speakers. Sonia Gandhi inaugurating the AIDS Day concert at IIT Delhi, in 1995 : exclusive multi-camera setup and coverage. Cookery and culinary experiences from across India : Making of Rhododendron juice and jam, from the flowers of the Himalayan tree. Collecting, cleaning and cooking Himalayan morels – wild and highly prized mushrooms, known in the Himalaya as guchhi. Collecting, cooking and eating wild ferns, known locally as lengda. Special delicacies and desserts being made from Indian mangos – more than 800 varieties of mangos exist in India. Mango-eating competition. Jam and cheese making, brown bread and cinnamon rolls being made at Landour in the lower Himalaya, at Prakash’s, a British Raj era grocery store. Taj Mahal: Extensive stills and video of the monument from every conceivable angle, direction, mood, lighting, from the city, from across the river, and even tracking shots taken with tracks and trolley from within the premises. (Formats Digi Beta, HDCAM High Definition, DVCAM; 10 hours) Agra Fort / Red Fort : Agra, Fatehpur Sikri, Sikandra Fort, and a variety of Indian forts and palaces, including Gwalior Fort, Kankwari Fort, Red Fort - Delhi and Old Fort Delhi, Udaipur, Jodhpur and Jaisalmer palaces, Ajaigarh, Panna, Jehangir Mahal and other forts and palaces in Bundelkhand, Orchha and Madhya Pradesh. Buildings of architectural interest across India: we have a wide collection of noteworthy buildings such as the Sunehri Mahal in Tonk, Datia fort, the erotic carvings and statues at the temples of Khajuraho (based on Vatsyayana’s Kama Sutra), abandoned forts and palaces within thick central Indian forests, cave paintings, the ancient Qutab Minar minaret in New Delhi, and the like. Strange Things, Events and Happenings: - Man impaling a trident through his cheeks at Spiti, during a ritual Buddhist dance at the Kalchakra ceremony presided over by the Dalai Lama. - Siddhi dancers, once brought from Sudan as salt workers to India. We have a rare dance sequence in which the lead dancer of a chain dancing troupe cracks a hard coconut on his head after throwing it in the air, and having it land on his head! - A Wild Boar eats another Wild Boar in the wild : animal cannibalism! - First time ever filmed rare sequences of the mating of the endangered Hard-ground Barasingha, a species of deer found only in two grassland areas of central India. This footage was recorded over an entire summer out in the grasslands, with temperatures regularly exceeding 110 degrees F, during an extreme central Indian summer. First time and very rare footage, including excellent recordings of rutting calls and of the male deer picking up large tussocks of grass and swamp mud on his antlers and then displaying through the grasslands. - Holy man walking several miles to pilgrimage site, even going uphill, on a pair of tall stilts! - People in a trance: Lakhat and Nanda Devi Raj Jat. People whirling around dervish-like, completely out of control of themselves, and clearly in the sway of some other power. - Arunachali Apatani women folk, wearing large / huge blocks of cane in their noses, as part of a cultural tradition! - Paraplegic / heavily physically challenged man, without legs, climbing the high Himalaya, over tens of miles, to reach his pilgrimage destination, in sub-zero temperatures. - Elephant standing in a lake looking for fish, catching them and killing them on its trunk and then consuming them. (Fish are not known to be on the diet of an elephant!) Rare footage! - A four-horned goat! Used as the centrepiece of the unique once-in-twelve-years Nanda Devi Raj Jat Yatra, a pilgrimage attended by hundreds of thousands of pilgrims from across India, and one that takes pilgrims into the high Himalaya (up to 18, 000 feet + altitude). They all follow this four-horned goat into the mountains and release it there in an alpine meadow! - The sight of hundreds of bones, perfectly preserved skeletons and skulls lying at the edge of a high altitude Himalayan tarn, at Roopkund. Lots of theories have abounded about the origin of these people and the cause of their death in an obviously violent manner, many hundreds of years old. - Tigers mating - We have stunning visuals (and very rare) of a pair of Indian Tigers mating deep inside the forests of central India. Probably first time footage... - Shikra eating Sparrow - We have a close-up, stunning and rare sequence of the Shikra (a raptor) tearing apart a sparrow and eating it from beginning to end, with very tight up close shots - nature in the raw! - Cicada drawing sap and spraying it in the air, from a tree: very dramatic shot! - A pair of conjoined (joined at the head) twin 10 year old girls who live a 'normal' life in India, with a study of their daily routine and family life. - Chickens with kicking legs, long after they have been decapitated, defeathered and had their necks, wings and legs cut off. Despite being 'dead', their nerves keep conveying signals to the limbs for quite a while after. - A pair of young Scavenger Vultures fighting so fiercely that both have their feathers flying, and one is pinned down below the other. Rather comic! - Babblers preening. One bird looks drugged, as the other digs into its neck feathers, to take out parasites... - Bahubali statue at Shravanabelagola town in Karnataka: fascinating footage of the once in 12 years Mahamastaka Abhisheka ceremony, in which thousands of devotees pour millions of gallons of milk and turmeric water and flower petals over the statue, bathing it in various hues of white and yellow and the colours of many flowers, and making for stunning and inspiring images of one of the rarest and most fascinating religious ceremonies anywhere in the world. - Rare behavioural studies of the Indian Wild Dog or dhole, including pack hunting behaviour, one male sitting on the face of another male (to show dominance) and mounting other males and females, again to show dominance within the pack. - Rhino taking a leak : Indian One-horned Rhinoceros taking a leak : a huge fountain of water emanating from the rear! The historic fight in the Uttar Pradesh state assembly, with politicians hurling chairs and microphones and sundry bits of furniture being flung at the speaker and members of the assembly! A rare glimpse of democracy at work in a unique way… (Format: Beta SP; 30 minutes) Indian Parliament house building, upper and lower houses of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, and Rashtrapati Bhawan – the residence of the President of India. Also, shots of the entire North and South Blocks, and Rashtrapati Bhawan lit up at night to celebrate Republic Day and Beating of the Retreat. Images of prominent Indian politicians, campaigning, elections, political parties, headquarters, electioneering, poll violence, functional democracy, and other images. This collection comprises of over 1000 hours of key / picked news footage taken over the years between 1990 and 2005, from the collection of a prominent newscaster with whom we have an exclusive marketing alliance. (This collection has NOT been included in the 3000 hours of WFIL’s archive, since we only have marketing rights and clearance to sell the footage, but do not own the collection.) Sambhar lake, Ajmer, Pushkar, Jodhpur, Nayalam, train to Guwahati, Kohima, Dimapur, Shillong, Jaisalmer, Darjeeling Toy train, villages and settlements across India: village life and different lifestyles of South Asia. Awagarh, Uttar Pradesh: mustard fields in villages, Awagarh palace and fort, the ruler of Awagarh, old guns, antique firearms of different kinds, family tree, antiques, khas or Vetiver grass and perfume making from this, bead making, bangle making, generator powering up a manmade tractor contraption, bats on a banyan tree and goat herders. (Format DVCAM; 8 hours). Spirituality, Culture and Heritage: Pushkar town, Nagaur cattle fair and related Rajathan footage from January and February 2006 (HDV and DVCAM; 24 hours) The Siddhis of Gujarat, who originally came to India as salt workers / slaves from Sudan. Footage includes dance forms (faithfully Sudanese / African in nature), villages, community gatherings, individual faces, children, habitat, etc. (Format: DVCAM; 5 hours) Kalbelias, the snake dancers of Rajasthan. (1 hour) Apatani Rain sacrifice ceremony at Ziro village (the largest village in Asia) in Lower Subansiri, Arunachal Pradesh, with a 108 year old man undertaking the ceremony on a raised wooden platform known as a ‘labang’, with wooden spires around it, called ‘babo’. Also, marriage ceremony feast, consumption and exchange of traditional dried pork during Myoko festival. (Format: Digital Betacam; 1 hour) The remote village community of Luguthang, one of the world’s highest villages and also the highest electrified village, at 16, 000 feet in Arunachal Pradesh. (Format: Betacam SP; 2 hours) 12 different dance forms from Bhutan and another 12 from Arunachal Pradesh. (3 hours) Amarnath Yatra / pilgrimage, Jammu & Kashmir state: The entire pilgrimage has been covered from Pahalgam to the cave with the ice lingam and back to Sonamarg. Also Srinagar, Dal Lake, Nagin Lake, flowering lotus being harvested, Jhelum river, Khaniyar and Dasgir Sahib mosques, shikaras and house boats, Nishat and Shalimar Mughal gardens, Shankaracharya temple and hill, Chinar trees, cricket bat making, Hazratbal Mosque, boulevard, water skiing, Dachigam National Park forest with Black Bear and endangered Hangul Deer (their last stronghold – they are found nowhere else globally). (Format: DVCAM; 15 hours) West Bengal Ganga Sagar confluence and Chitrakoot in Uttar Pradesh. (Format: Mini DV; 3 hours) Festival of Sacred Chanting and Singing, New Delhi, 2003. Groups came from all over the world including Africa, Europe and America. Includes Gregorian chants and throat singers / singing from Tuva. (DVCAM, 3 hours) Spiti Kalchakra, one of the largest Buddhist festivals presided over by the Dalai Lama. This particular festival was held at the Key Gompa / monastery, in the high altitude rain shadow arid desert regions of Spiti, Himachal Pradesh state, India. We have documented the entire festival over a one-month period, with excellent close-up images of His Excellency The Dalai Lama, the religious head, in exile, of Tibet. Footage includes some stunning Himalayan landscapes, mountains, rainbows in the high altitude desert, flowering plants, and rugged terrain. (Format: Digital Betacam; 13 hours) Child Marriages in Alwar, Rajasthan. Rare footage of the rarer occurrence of the age old albeit now illegal practice from rural India, with rare footage of a mass child marriage in progress. (Format: Mini DV; 4 hours) Madhya Pradesh: Khajuraho dance festival, Panna rural lifestyles and livelihoods, cave paintings and dwellings in the forests of Panna, Hindu cremation sequences, interviews with Sloth Bear attack victims, with visibly displayed claw-marks and deep gash wounds inflicted by Sloth Bears. Dhundwa falls – the misty waterfalls, fisheries, pisciculture, fish hatchlings in government nursery, Ken River Lodge camp, Bhoramdeo temple in Kavardah / Kawardha – a 5th century temple with sculptures of erotica, Baiga tribals from Madhya Pradesh - their customs and village life, Bhimbetka cave and rock paintings, tiger census in progress. Also, Orchha temples and cenotaphs, Betwa river, rafting on the Betwa, Dussehra celebrations in Orchha, Jehangir Mahal, Ram Raja temple, Bundelkhand Riverside Resort owned by the Maharaja of Orchha, Barwasagar / Barwa Sagar fort and lake, Garh Kundhar and Datia fort. Also, the 450 year old Baobab tree planted by Maharaja Bir Singh Deo of Orchha. (Format: DVCAM; 18 hours) Jarawas, Onges and other tribals and extinct / dying communities from Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Bay of Bengal, India. Jaunsar Bawar region where polygamy and polyandry still coexist, and the dubious Duryodhan temple at Osla / Sima. Valleys of the Rupin, Supin and Tons. (1 hour) Traditional royal wedding ceremony in the erstwhile state of Nagodh, with family revelry and large scale celebrations. Also, modern day Indian weddings with pomp, pageantry and splendour, both at the village and rural level, and among the more modern extravagant upper middle class. Tibetan government in exile : Tibetan seat of political power out of Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh, India. Monks of Sherab Ling Monastery singing and chanting (Grammy Award winning choir of monks). Tibetan people in residence in India : lifestyle, livelihoods, religion in exile, ennui among the young in Tibetan communities in exile. Feature film ‘We’re No Monks’ was co-produced by our company and the joint copyright rests with us. This film includes a lot of lifestyle images, footage of the popular Bollywood (Bombay Hindi cinema) baddy actor Gulshan Grover and lesser actors from the Tibetan community. As the first Indo Tibetan film project and the first Tibetan digital film, this feature film has been screened in theaters worldwide, and awaits worldwide release, and has attracted widespread acclaim and reviews worldwide. Dalai Lama footage. Buddhist and Tibetan monasteries, chanting, prayers, scrolls, prayer wheels, butter lamps and traditions. Indian Railways as a cultural institution: With more than one million employees, this is one of the largest employers worldwide. We have train journeys across India, shots from inside trains, Palace on Wheels – a luxury train with a dining coach, airconditioned cabins, and luxurious toilets, train stations, railway history, antique trains at Railway Museum, steam trains, electric locomotives, metre gauge, narrow gauge and broad gauge trains. Polo matches on New Delhi’s Jaipur Polo Grounds, with corporate and military teams competing amid a regal ambience, with the Who’s Who of Delhi in attendance. School and college-level sports in progress, at the local, regional, state and national level. Cricket matches in progress, cricket mania / madness among the middle class of India, cricket at regional and national levels, football and hockey matches, golf tournaments, tennis matches, Kho-kho and Kabaddi (Indian sports), and a range of athletics and gymnastics. Himalayan geology, geography, mountain peaks up to 29, 000 feet altitude, valleys, flora, avifauna, wildlife, people, villages, trekking routes, mountaineering expeditions, and more. We have the world’s largest collection of video and still imagery from right across the Himalaya, perhaps the largest geographical feature on earth. Kullu - Manali and the surrounding valleys in Himachal Pradesh, shot during the winter and from neighbouring valleys. (Format: Digital Beta; 5 hours) Nanda Devi Raj Jat Yatra, Nanda Devi Expedition. Auli, Lata village, Lata Kharak, Behelta, Dharanshi, Malatuni, Dibrughetta, Rishi Ganga crossing, Ramani camp, Sarsarpatal temple and Nanda Devi, Sarsarpatal clouds and peak, Devisthan ridge, time lapses, Nanda Devi in moonlight. (Format: Digital Betacam, DV; 40 hours) Kanchenjunga / Kangchenjunga, the highest mountain in the eastern Himalaya, Dzongri, Sikkim, Pandim, Frey peak, Yuksom, Bakhim, Chaurikang, Zemu gap, Kanchenjunga National Park, Tsokha, yaks carrying loads, waterfalls, thick tropical forests. (Format DV; 6 hours) Padum in Zanskar (during the winter and in fall), Bara Bangahal and Parvati districts in Himachal Pradesh. (Format: Digital Betacam, 1 hour) Mussoorie district including Aglar and Yamuna valleys, Landour, Dhanolti and Jabbarkhet. (Format: Digital Betacam, 20 hours) Gangotri valley with subsidiary glacial valleys of Rudragaira, Sri Kailash, Nelong, Harsil, and going up to the Dhuvadhar Kandi Pass, the watershed divide between the Ganga and Yamuna valleys. Gangotri glacier and further, Rudragaira summit views. (Format: DV, Beta SP; 14 hours) Har-ki-dun and Govind Pashu Vihar Sanctuary, on the Baspa - Garhwal border, Summit shots and views of the Indian plains from near the summits of Swargarohini, Banderepunch, Yellow Tooth and Hata valleys. (9 hours.) Dodital lake, Darwa pass, Banderpunch range, Yamuna river valley, Uttarkashi region. (4 hours) Badrinath and Mana valleys, Kedarnath and Yamunotri temples and the Yamuna valley. (2 hours) Arunachal Pradesh: Extensive shots of the Indian state bordering Myanmar, Tibet/China and Bhutan, Lower Subansiri, West Kameng, East Kameng, Itanagar, Siang. Villages of Tato, Mechukha, Along, Mechuka, Tato, Manigang, Luguthang, Mago, Thingbu, Ziro, Pakhui National Park, Itanagar (capital city) and Talle valley. Se La and Bum La passes. Chinese - Tibetan border views. Rainforest, villages, wildlife, flowers and people. (Format: Digital Betacam; 10 hours.) Extensive footage of Lahaul and Spiti districts in Himachal Pradesh, including Rohtang and Kunzum La passes, further into Kaza, Key, Tabo, Pin Valley, Lhalung, Nako and adjacent valleys and monasteries. Extensive coverage of the Kalchakra festival, which was inaugurated by the Dalai Lama, during July - August 2000. (Format: Digital Betacam; 14 hours.) Sagarmatha National Park and the Mt. Everest region. The entire Jiri - Everest Base Camp trek, shot between March and June 2001. Also, digital video imagery from the Base Camp right up to the summit of Everest, shot during the Indian Army Mount Everest Expedition 2001. Also, side stories and footage such as the last interview with Babu Chhiri Sherpa, the man who climbed Everest 12 times, spent an entire night on the summit, climbed from the Base Camp to the top, and back, in less than 17 hours! Sadly, he died the day after our interview, by falling into a crevasse. (Format: Digital Betacam 20 hours. Plus DVCAM 20 hours.) Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve and National Park, filmed during May-June 2001, after a gap of nearly twenty years. Rare footage from the inner sanctuary, near Nanda Devi Base Camp, all the way from Lata Kharak and the approach, through Dharanshi, Dibrughetta, Deodi, Bhujgara, Patalkhan and Sarsarpatal. Tracks the route and includes shots of locations where a secret team of the CIA and Indian army jointly placed a nuclear-powered tracking device to monitor activity at China’s Lop Nor nuclear facility. The device subsequently disappeared and has not been traced to date. (Format Digital Betacam, 12 hours.) Kullu Dussehra, an annual Hindu festival from the middle Himalaya, Himachal Pradesh state (Format DVCAM, 8 hours). Also Lakhat village in Uttaranchal, showing the Besi puja festival with people in trances and undergoing tantrik rituals. Leh, GV's of Ladakh, monasteries, Indus river, market shots, Shanti Stupa, locals turning prayer wheels, arid landscapes, sunset time lapses, silhouette shots of horses & horsemen, sunrise shots, monks in prayer, etc. (Format DVCAM; 2 hours) Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage, Mt. Kailash trek and geographical footage, from Tibet, and the journey through Nepal. (Format DVCAM; 18 hours) Lamkhaga Pass, from Garhwal into Himachal Pradesh. Sheep-herders / shepherds taking their flocks across the treacherous pass, shearing their sheep along the way, and selling their wool. Camping, trekking, and extensive landscape / mountain shots, with brilliant Himalayan sunrises and sunsets. Apple cultivation at Harsil and trout fishing on the Jalandhri Gadh. A current project has obtained the first film footage ever of a rare Himalayan ungulate - the Serow, and the first in-depth film record of the breeding biology of the rare Cheer and Koklass Pheasants and the nesting of the Kaleej or Kalij Pheasant of the lower and middle Himalaya. Among other species, we have filmed and photographed over 30 Himalayan species of birds, flowers and animals for the first time ever. Thus, we have valuable scientific records by way of footage and stills that have not been made available internationally as yet… Pythons at Bharatpur National Park. We also have a rare hour-long sequence of a Python consuming an entire deer in Kanha National Park, from killing it, ingesting it and finally going into weeks of deep sleep as it works the deer out of its system. (Format: Digital Betacam, DVCAM; 2 hours) Rare and extensive sequences of the breeding biology of the Asiatic Paradise Flycatcher, perhaps the most beautiful bird in all of Asia. (Format: Digital Betacam, 6 hours.) Fifty species of waterfowl at Keoladeo Ghana, Bharatpur - one of the finest wetlands in South Asia: many different species of Bitterns, Herons, Storks, Cranes, Crakes, Snipes, Terns, Raptors, Nightjars, Owls, waders, etc. Rare nocturnal shots of the Toddy Cat or Palm Civet, as well as Monitor Lizards, Blackbuck and Bluebull. (Format: Beta SP, Digital Betacam; 12 hours.) Corbett collection: The most extensive record ever on the Corbett National Park of Uttaranchal, the erstwhile Hailey National Park and the first National Park in India. Rare and extensive records of the Asiatic elephant, including migration, feeding, rivalry, fights, extremely rare and graphic mating sequences, migration, poaching, natural death and more. Tiger footage includes stalking, feeding, tigress with cubs, tigress bringing up cubs, river crossing, rivalry, and more. (Format: Digital Betacam, DVCAM; 80 hours) Rajaji National Park in Uttaranchal. Govind Pashu Vihar, Kedarnath and Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve in the high mountains of Garhwal. Bharal or Blue Sheep in the Har ki dun. Himalayan Black Bear above Harsil. (8 hours.) Talle Valley in Arunachal. Thromsingla in Bhutan (1 hour). Also, 30 hours of high quality HDV High Definition material on Arunachal Pradesh, shot between November 2005 and January 2006: D’Ering / D’Erring Wildlife Sanctuary, Pasighat, Oran, boating, riverine expeditioning and wildlife watching on the Brahmaputra river, herds of elephant as large as 140 strong, tea gardens, tea being plucked, rice beer (apong) being made, kids going to school, ceremonial feasts, village life, dances, music, and more. Also, many different traditional forms of fishing, including the use of trawlers, nets, and fish poaching with dynamite, on larger rivers, in small streams and in small ponds. Monkey poaching in the forest, subsequent roasting of the monkey and poachers consuming it for dinner. Also, Wild Boar hunt followed by cleaning the Wild Boar, cooking it and eating it. Mithun slaughter, carving and cooking as part of a community feast in Arunachal. Dog being caught to be killed and eaten. Central Indian wildlife reserves / sanctuaries / national parks / tiger reserves : Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Panna, Shivpuri, Chambal, Pench, Rewa in Madhya Pradesh. Tiger sequences from the wild, superb footage of huge herds of Gaur or Indian Bison in Kanha, entire rutting and mating sequences of Barasingha (Cervus duvauceli) at Kanha, Python eating Chital deer, nilgai or Bluebull, Toddy Cat or Common Palm Civet, Tupaia or Tree Shrew, Raneh Falls and Pandav Falls – waterfalls located deep in the forest, Chital or Spotted Deer, crabs, snakes, rats, Sloth Bear, Chowsingha / Chousingha or Four-horned antelope, Grey headed Fishing Eagle, nightjar, Black naped Hare, Rusty spotted Cat, Brown Fish Owl, Great Horned Owl. Also, rare footage of the Dhole or Indian Wild Dog displaying dominance behaviour, pack hunting, mating and family life. (Format: DVCAM, Digi Beta; 65 hours) Rann of Kutch and Gir National Park in Gujarat. Rare sequences of the Asiatic Lion (Panthera leo persica) (it’s last stronghold in the wild, globally) and common leopard from Gir, their prey species: Chital, Sambhar, Bluebull, Blackbuck, Wild Boar, Peafowl, Langur, etc. (Format: DVCAM, Betacam SP; 25 hours) Gir National Park, Porbandar, Gujarat : Sunset at Porbandar, Lesser Flamingos, Porbandar seaside (where Mahatma Gandhi was born), villagers, bullock carts, pelicans, on way to Ahmedabad, woodpeckers, deer, Junagarh (historical buildings), Kesariya flowers, Painted Storks, Egrets, endangered Demoiselle Cranes in large flocks, Maldhari women, Siddhi dancers, desert mice, Peacocks, roaring and yawning lions, drive through forest, forest ranger with lion, blue bull, etc. (Format: DVCAM, Mini DV; 10 hours) Rare sequence of a Wild Boar eating a young Wild Boar, at Sariska National Park. (Format: Digital Betacam; 1 hour) Project Tiger: Ranthambhore, Panna National Park, Ken river, Shivpuri / Madhav National Park, Karera, Gwalior fort, Kanha National Park, Bandhavgarh National Park, central Indian pine forest. (Format: Betacam; 5 hours) Sariska National Park and Ranthambhore Ranthambhor Tiger Reserve: 20 years of Tiger Project, Sariska, Grey Partridge calling and digging, Jungle Bush Quail, Grey headed Flycatcher, Rose ringed Parakeet, Green Pigeon, Bay backed Shrike, Painted and Indian Spurfowl, Jungle Babbler, Spotted Owlet, Golden backed Woodpecker, Tree Pie (a magpie species) picking ticks off the face of a Wild Boar, thus displaying symbiosis in nature. (Format: Betacam SP; 4 hours) Ranthambhore and Sariska Tiger Reserves in Rajasthan. Kankwadi fort in Sariska (where the Mughal Emperor Dara Shikoh was held captive) and Pandupol. Ranthambhor - extensive coverage of the Ranthmabhor fort and Jogi Mahal palace. (6 hours) Delhi Ridge and its attendant wildlife. Aravalli habitat in adjacent Haryana and Rajasthan. (5 hours.) Rare sequences of the Himalayan Snow Fox bounding along the frozen Zanskar river at Padum, Zanskar, Jammu & Kashmir. Life in Zanskar during the winter months, when few outsiders can reach the valleys of Zanskar. (Format: Digi Beta; 1 hour) Sloth Bear of central India: shots of Sloth Bear raiding fields, digging ants out of ant-hill and consuming them, rambling through forest, crossing empty streambed and clawing on tree. (Format Digi Beta, 1 hour) Extensive nesting sequences of over forty species of Indian birds, including in-depth coverage of the nesting of the Paradise Flycatcher, during May-June 2000, along the forests of the Ramganga and Corbett Park Region, in Uttar Pradesh. Also, Tailor Bird and Ashy Wren Warbler nesting and breeding biology. (Various formats; Total: 25 hours.) Shots of the rare Golden Langur in Assam’s rain forests and the Sankosh Valley in Bhutan. (Format: Digi Beta; 1 hour) The Thar (an ungulate), Monal Pheasant and Tibetan Snowcock, apart from many other Himalayan species, at Sagarmatha (Everest) National Park, Nepal. Ladakh wildlife : Tibetan Wolf, Brahminy Ducks nesting at Tsokar, Black necked Cranes, Bharal or Blue Sheep, Pikas (Mouse Hare), Marmots, Lark, Tibetan Snowfinch, Tibetan Hare, Golden Eagle. Extensive footage on Project Tiger, the conservation programme. (Format: Betacam SP; 12 hours) Pindari Glacier during the winter months. Extensive study of the Snow pigeon, shots in flight, sitting on protected cliffs, flying with snow-peaks in the background, fields at Khati, Jatoli village life, Dhakuri pass panoramas, Trishul, Nanda Devi and other peaks from Kausani. Fishing for the mighty Mahseer (India’s sport fish) in Cauvery / Kaveri river in Karnataka, Kabini in Mysore, Ramnathpur, Ramganga river in Uttaranchal, above Corbett National Park, 45 lbs. mahaseer being caught by fisherman, underwater shots, Kosi river, Pancheshwar confluence of two rivers in Kumaon, Renuka Lake, Himachal Pradesh. Also, Murrel fishing in Kaveri, Carp being caught and Rainbow / Brown trout fishing in Dodital in the high Himalaya. Also, footage of Indian fisherman Vijay Soni in action in different waters, and fighting for different species. (Format: DVCAM; 20 hours) Extensive collection of footage of birds belonging to Indian subcontinent. Of the 1200 species to be found in South Asia, we have the largest collection worldwide, with footage of more than 400 species, or a third of all birds to be found in India. Patna Bird Sanctuary : jackal hunting waterfowl, large congregation of waterfowl in wetland, Sarus Cranes (very important in Indian mythology, as they mate for life) in mating display, Blackbuck. Kheechan, Rajasthan, with large flocks of migratory Demoiselle Cranes in the winter months. These cranes, endangered elsewhere, visit India in the winter months, by the thousands, after crossing the high Himalaya, to seek out warmer wintering grounds here. Big cats of South Asia: Clouded Leopard, Indian Tiger, Asiatic Lion, Common Leopard and Snow Leopard. Reptiles and snakes of South Asia: Ganges Gharial (highly endangered), crocodile, monitor lizard, Python, King Cobra, Krait, Star Turtle, tortoises, Calotes, and more. Indian herbivores/ungulates: Barking Deer, Blackbuck, Chinkara, Chital or Spotted Deer, Sambhar Deer, nilgai or Bluebull, Yak, Takin, Gaur or Indian Bison, Mithun.
A Rainbow Colored Fish: This film documents the life of Mandarin fish, one of the most colourful and sought after subjects for underwater camera operators and photographers. Filmed on location around Palau Island in the Pacific, this film has some stunning natural history imagery and beautiful underwater filming.
We’re No Monks: Feature film; 2 hours and 15 minutes long; Widescreen Digital Betacam; 2004. McLeod Ganj, also known as little Lhasa in India, is a few kilometers above Dharamshala. Tucked away in the foothills of the Himalaya in Northern India, it is a hub of Tibetan activities. Amid the cluster of Tibetan exiled government offices, institutions and organizations, ordinary refugees live with hopes of returning to Tibet someday. However, a generation has changed and so have dreams, desires and aspirations of the people, especially the younger ones. This story is about them. Four friends find solace in a small cafe away from McLeod Ganj where they are not pressured by family and societal expectations. It is a perfect little place for unemployed and rejected youth to sh |