JURY 2024

Actor, UNEP Goodwill Ambassador, and SDG Advocate

Dia Mirza has one vision and many roles. She is an accomplished actor and producer, serving as the UN Secretary-General's Advocate for Sustainable Development Goals and UNEP. As an eco-investor and green entrepreneur, Dia champions environmental causes. She is also the Ambassador for Wildlife Trust of India, a Board Member of the Sanctuary Nature Foundation, and a Global Ambassador for the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).

National award-winning film critic, filmmaker, and writer

Known for his insightful writing in both Malayalam and English, C.S. Venkiteswaran has contributed to prestigious, national and international publications on cinema and art with several books to his credit. He won the National Film Award for the Best Film Critic in 2009 and shared the award for Best Arts/Cultural Film for Pakarnnattam in 1995. He was the former Artistic Director of the SiGNS Film Festival, organised by the Federation of Film Societies of India. His curatorial expertise has enriched prominent events like the Kochi Muziris Biennale, the International Film Festival of Kerala, and the Mumbai International Film Festival.

Multi-award winning Journalist, Conservationist, and Filmmaker

Swati Thiyagarajan is an award-winning conservation journalist, environmental storyteller, author, and filmmaker. Formerly the environmental editor at NDTV, she pioneered the show Born Wild and led major environmental campaigns. Her notable works include directing Wild Walk and The Animal Communicator, and authoring Born Wild: Journeys into the Wild of Africa and India. Based in Cape Town, she was Associate Producer of the Academy and BAFTA winning My Octopus Teacher.

Naturalist, Writer, Educator, and Environmental Defender

Yuvan Aves is a Chennai-based writer, naturalist, educator, and environmental defender. Yuvan has authored two books on ecology and three children's books. He has received the M. Krishnan Memorial Nature Writing Award, Sanctuary Asia Green Teacher Award for 2021, and the other accolades. An active participant in resistance and community movements against ecocide and industrialisation in South India, Yuvan is also the founder and managing trustee of the Palluyir Trust for Nature Education and Research.