Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies and ALT EFF are building an ecosystem for climate storytelling in India, supporting filmmakers from underrepresented regions with mentorship, distribution pathways, and the financial backing they desperately need to bring urgent environmental stories to global audiences.
The real story here is that India's environmental film scene has been chronically underfunded while the country faces ecological crisis. This $126K fund signals a major shift—established philanthropy finally recognizing climate storytelling as essential rather than niche. The question is whether this is the beginning of sustained investment or a one-off gesture.
The INR1.2 crore ($126,000) fund will award grants to exactly three documentary projects. Applications close June 30, 2026. ALT EFF has screened over 360 films from more than 60 countries across six years and draws upwards of 50,000 attendees annually.
India's ecological crisis demands stories that mainstream cinema has ignored for too long. This fund is a bold bet that underrepresented voices from Tier-2 cities and rural communities can tell those stories better than anyone—if given the resources to do so.
The All Living Things Environmental Film Festival just dropped what could be a game-changer for climate storytelling in India. ALT EFF has launched one of the country's largest environmental film funds—a INR1.2 crore ($126,000) initiative backed by Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies that will bankroll three documentary projects focused on coexistence between human communities, wildlife, ecology and climate. Applications are open NOW through June 30, giving filmmakers exactly two weeks to get their pitches in.
But this isn't just about writing checks—selected projects will receive mentorship, story development support, impact campaign guidance, AND access to ALT EFF's international distribution network. The fund was developed in partnership with Greenstories and DocedgeKolkata, lending serious industry credibility to the whole operation. "India has some of the most urgent, layered, and emotionally powerful environmental stories in the world," said Kunal Khanna, co-founder and festival director of ALT EFF.
"But filmmakers often lack the long-term support systems needed to bring these stories to life at a global level." That's a damning indictment of the status quo—and an implicit promise that this fund intends to fix it. Here's what makes this actually significant: the fund is specifically designed to surface projects from underrepresented regions, Tier-2 cities and communities historically absent from mainstream environmental cinema. Both development AND production stage projects are eligible.
A second application round opens November 1 and closes December 10, led by DocedgeKolkata. Rohini Nilekani herself framed it as reconnecting people with the natural world during ecological crisis. "Communities across India have long found ways to live alongside nature," she said—but those communities have rarely had cameras or funding to tell their own stories.
That's what ALT EFF is betting $126,000 can change. The festival itself is no small operation—now in its sixth year, ALT EFF has screened more than 360 films from over 60 countries and drawn upwards of 50,000 attendees across India and eight additional countries. This fund represents the kind of infrastructure investment that could transform a regional festival into a genuine global force for environmental cinema. Whether Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies is in for the long haul or just testing the waters remains to be seen—but June 30 is the first test.
