The inaugural award was conferred upon the production house M/s Purbanchal Film Co-operative Society Ltd. (Rajat Kamal and ₹ 30,000) and director Jahnu Barua (Rajat Kamal and ₹ 15,000) for their Assamese film Bonani for the story of a lone forest officer fighting the illegal timber mafia and protecting rights of uneducated tribals.[14] Kannada film director P. Sheshadri received the award in 2005 for his film Thutturi which was produced by Jayamala Ramchandra.[15] He again won the award in 2010 for the film Bettada Jeeva produced by Basanta Kumar Patil.[16] Malayalam film director Dr. Biju went on to receive the award in 2013 for his film Perariyathavar produced by Ambalakkara Global Films and again in 2015 for the film Valiya Chirakulla Pakshikal produced by A. K. Pillai.[17][18] The most recent recipient of the award has been the Malayalam film Aavasavyuham[19] directed by Krishand RK.[20]
Winners
The award includes 'Rajat Kamal' (Silver Lotus) and cash prize to the producers and director each. The first award in 1989 had a monetary association of ₹ 30,000 to the producers and ₹ 15,000 to the directors.[14] In 1995 at the 43rd award ceremony the Bodo language film Rape in the Virgin Forest was honoured and the cash prices were revised to ₹ 30,000 each presented to Jwngdao Bodosa who had both produced and directed the film about the problems of deforestation and struggles of tribal people.[21] The monetary association was again revised to ₹ 1,50,000 to both the producers and directors in 2008 at the 56th awarding ceremony where producer Akshay Parija and director Prashanta Nanda's Odia language film Jianta Bhoota (meaning "The Living Ghost") was the winner for its portrayal of lives of Dongria Kondh tribal people residing in the Niyamgiri hills range of Odisha.[10][22]
Following are the award winners over the years:
List of films, showing the year (award ceremony), language(s), producer(s), director(s) and citation
For effectively handling the problem of deforestation, through the life and struggle of a tribal community and exposing the real culprits behind this crime.
For handling a theme of great concern in the increasingly polluted environs of our industrial towns and cities, through the imaginative touch of a fairly tale.
For telling the simple and moving story of an elderly couple and their relationship with the world around them. In depicting the couple's love for the trees and plants in their garden, the film spreads the message of environmental conservation in the broadest sense in a gentle, unobtrusive way.
The story revolves around a Grand-father, his son and grand son. The son who is in hurry to migrate to the U.S. is convinced he has tied up all the loose ends like securing the future of his family as well as the care of his old father. The grand father is shocked by the sale of the ancestral home and is completely shattered by the irresponsibility of maximising gain in turning it over to a plastic factory owner. The old man is redeemed by the youngster who picks up hope from the grand father's values – of environment awareness and human relationship.
In this chaotic world, when every body talks about the importance of environment, conservation and preservation but no body cares to learn from the wisdom of myth created by our forefathers and create a space for every mind to realise its potential without judging, discriminating or condemning.
An old couple steeped in the soil of their environment yearn for the return of their son while nurturing the growth of their young plantation against all odds.
Set in a tribal backdrop the movie effectively advocates the urgent need for environmental protection. The protagonists in the form of three children make the film all the more acceptable to the impressionable minds!
For telling the story of those nameless, faceless marginalized people through the life of a widowed father who works as a scavenger and his eight year old son. It depicts the real lives of the poor who live in the margin of civilized society with an unusual power and artistic honesty.
Ottal, a visual poem, expresses the beauty and serenity of the protagonist's rural environment and a way of life whose value is measured by the poignancy of its loss.
Excellent cinematic depiction of the culture of the cultural adherence of the Monpa community, their rituals and more importantly their faith and commitment towards the environment.
'Aavasavyuham: The Arbit Documentation of An Amphibian Hunt', which had won the Kerala State Film Awards for Best Film and Best Screenplay in 2021, bagged the national award for Best Film on Environment Conservation/Preservation. It's not just feature films that bagged honours for the Malayalam film industry.
