Catapults to Cameras

I’m Ash (Ashwika Kapur) a nature filmmaker from West Bengal, passionately dedicated to wildlife conservation. While I’ve had the pleasure of working on various wildlife TV shows and independent films in India and internationally, none have been quite as special to me as Catapults to Cameras. Originating from the depths of my home in West Bengal, this film began as a personal quest to unveil the disconcerting practice of illegal wildlife hunting in our forests. But what began as a humble experiment, has now blossomed into something bigger. It makes our team immensely happy to say that the film has inspired an actual conservation program by the same name, making tangible impact on the ground and reshaping the way our children perceive wildlife. In the heart of this journey lies the belief that when it comes to conservation, even the small efforts count and matter. Conservation is not just about monumental global projects or big funding. Neither is conservation solely about saving charismatic animals and iconic habitats. Conservation thrives on the accumulation of small but passionate local efforts in every corner of the planet, and these local impact projects are hugely important because they reach the places, the people and the animals that the big projects overlook. To me, this films’ journey from documentary to real-life conservation project underscores the power of these small, concerted efforts to create tangible impact wherever they may be. Because I believe, conservation, much like charity, begins at home.