FPJ Exclusive: From Dadar To Cannes, Mumbai's 'Beach Warriors' Receive Appreciation Through Documentary Screened At Positive Cinema Week Of The Cannes Film Festival

Mumbai: A group of young ‘Beach Warriors’, passionately cleaning the shores of Mumbai, were shocked when they got to know that their work was appreciated in Cannes. ‘Oceans Under Siege’, a short documentary made on the journey of Dadar-based beach-cleanup organisation was one of the films screened at the Cannes Film Festival’s Positive Cinema Week.

When the 34-year-old marketing professional Chinu Kwatra started Beach Warriors as a weekly beach cleaning initiative replicating other such campaigns, he would not have thought that its journey would be witnessed by the who’s who of the global cinema world. On Friday, ‘Oceans Under Siege’, a documentary made on the journey and efforts of ‘Beach Warriors’, was screened at the 10th edition of Positive Cinema Week at the 78th Cannes Film Festival.

The short documentary was created by Mumbai-based Meghatithi, who works as a global creative director with the France-based Films For Sustainable World, an organisation which inspires filmmakers across the world to create films on crucial issues. The organisation’s film festival Mega City Short Docs has been screening its documentaries at the Positive Cinema Week for the last five years.

This year the organisation’s focus was on creating films related to conservation of oceans looking at the rise of consciousness regarding the issue. While it received multiple films related to the subject from Jakarta, New York and other cities across the world, Meghatithi’s 4-minute documentary ‘Oceans Under Siege’, based on Beach Warriors’ journey, was selected to be screened at Cannes.

Talking to The Free Press Journal, Meghatithi said, “Mumbai has an issue of legacy waste and even if we stop today, the waste will keep coming back to us for years. Being from Mumbai, I felt like showing the efforts of wonderful people from my city. I came across the Beach Warriors during my research and realised that their work needs amplification.” He added that he will be creating a longer documentary about the work of Beach Warriors in the coming days.

Over 4,000 Tonnes Of Waste Cleaned In 8 Years

In the last eight years, Beach Warriors has cleaned over 4,000 tonnes of waste from the beaches of Dadar, Prabhadevi and Juhu Koliwada. The group is known for its special beach cleanup drives during and after Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations, which sees thousands of idols being immersed in the sea. While the group carries out ‘Visarjan Sewa’ on immersion days by collecting worship materials from the devotees and preventing them from entering the sea, it also collaborates with recyclers to recycle the waste removed from shores.

“When you pour your heart and soul into something true, the universe surprises you with more than you ever imagined. Seeing Beach Warriors' efforts appreciated globally through this documentary is beyond my wildest dreams. I'm deeply grateful to Meghatithi and Neha for believing in our mission and bringing our story to life through this powerful documentary. From a middle-class boy in Thane to making waves in France, it proves that dedication knows no bounds and the world is indeed small when we unite for a cause as vital as protecting our environment,” said Kwatra.