The IIED Development and Climate Days film competition at CoP-17 in Durban was sponsored by CDKN.  From a shortlist of 15 videos, the finalist was selected by a panel of five experts, including CDKN’s sub-regional coordinator for Knowledge Management, Fayyaz Ahmad Khan.

The winning film, Ripples, explores the impact climate change is having on communities in Bangladesh, and how communities are rising to meet these challenges. Looking at the climate impacts from the bottom up, the film follows the work of community organisation RDRS, which is helping villages to prepare for flooding during the Monsoon season by using emergency warning systems and building flood defences.  Haunting, but upbeat, the film conveys both the intense hardships of the villagers’ situation and the spirit of cooperation that is helping them build resilience to climate change.

Fayyaz commented:  "I loved this film. High production value, great improvisation and good content... I feel Ripples in its overall impact is better than all the other films."

Ripples: Climate Change and Disaster Management in Bangladesh, by Soren Vestergaard Neilsen, for RDRS Bangladesh

Three other films were commended by the judges, and you can view them here.

Commended films

Carbon for Water, by Evan Abramson and Carmen Elsa Lopez was Highly Commended.

Carbon for Water, by Evan Abramson and Carmen Elsa Lopez, carbonforwaterfilm.com

90% of people in Kenya’s Western Province have to boil their water, using fuel wood, to make it safe to drink. A new carbon reduction project aims to reduce CO2 emissions by 2 million tonnes each year by providing 900,000 homes with water filters paid for through carbon credits.

Two other films were commended: Powerful Hands, by CARE International and
Vital Roads: Pacific Adaptation to Climate Change, Epi Island, Vanuatu, produced by SPREP.