Press Release: With Support from RNP, ALT EFF Launches India’s Largest Environmental Film Fund

Applications now open for filmmakers across India; three selected projects to receive grants. 

Supported by Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies (RNP), the All Living Things Environmental Film Festival (ALT EFF) has officially announced the launch of the ALT EFF Film Fund, a landmark initiative aimed at strengthening climate and environmental storytelling in India.

The fund, amounting to 1.2 Crores, will support three environmental documentary films with grants, making it one of the largest environmental film funds in the country. The initiative is designed to support compelling, resonant stories that explore the theme of Coexistence, examining the evolving relationships between humans, wildlife, ecology, and climate realities across the country.

The initiative will work closely with leading documentary platforms Greenstories and DocedgeKolkata to identify and nurture projects through intensive labs, mentorship forums, and pitching sessions before the final three grantees are selected.

Applications for the fund are currently open through Greenstories, and filmmakers from across India can apply until 30^th June 2026; another round led by DocedgeKolkata will open on November 1^st 2026 and will close on 10^th December 2026. 

Beyond production financing, the fund will offer selected filmmakers access to mentorship, impact campaign support, story development guidance, and distribution pathways through ALT EFF’s growing network of international filmmakers, impact strategists, and documentary platforms. The fund will specifically encourage stories from underrepresented regions, Tier-2 cities, and communities whose voices have traditionally remained outside mainstream environmental cinema. It will also support projects across different stages of documentary filmmaking, including development and production.

As part of the initiative, selected films will also receive support for impact campaigns designed to take stories beyond traditional audiences through community screenings, educational outreach, NGO collaborations, policy engagement, and digital amplification. Over the last six years, ALT EFF has established itself as one of India’s leading platforms for environmental cinema, curating over 360 environmental films from more than 60 countries and engaging audiences across hundreds of community screenings and live events.

Talking about the importance of storytelling, Rohini Nilekani, Chairperson – Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies said, “For many years, my philanthropy has supported organisations working on human-wildlife coexistence, and we have learned that communities across India have long found ways to live alongside nature. Indian mythology, too, reminds us that humans and animals are deeply interconnected, and that coexistence is an ancient cultural memory. At a time of ecological crisis, we need stories that help people reconnect with the natural world and with each other. Through the RNP x ALT EFF Environment Film Fund, we hope to support storytelling that inspires empathy, understanding, and a shared ecological future — because to conserve and protect, we must first learn to observe and love.”

Speaking about the launch, Kunal Khanna, Co-Founder and Festival Director of the All Living Things Environmental Film Festival, said: “India has some of the most urgent, layered, and emotionally powerful environmental stories in the world, but filmmakers often lack the long-term support systems needed to bring these stories to life at a global level. Through the ALT EFF Environmental Film Fund, we want to build an ecosystem for climate storytelling in India — one that nurtures filmmakers from development to distribution and helps important stories travel far beyond festival spaces.”

As part of the initiative, selected films will also receive support for impact campaigns designed to take stories beyond traditional audiences through community screenings, educational outreach, NGO collaborations, policy engagement, and digital amplification. Over the last six years, ALT EFF has established itself as one of India’s leading platforms for environmental cinema, curating over 360 environmental films from more than 60 countries and engaging audiences across hundreds of community screenings and live events. 

Filmmakers interested in applying for the ALT EFF Environmental Film Fund can submit their applications before the end of June 2026.

Link to the Film Fund: https://www.alteff.in/film-fund