EntertainmentPosted at: Feb 15 2026 12:08AM


'Code Red: The Sunderbans', a global wake-up call from the delta

Kolkata, Feb 14 (UNI) The iconic cultural venue Rabindra Sadan located at the heart of central Kolkata witnessed the first global screening of the environmental documentary "Code Red: The Sunderbans", helmed by Suman Mukhopadhyay and conceived by environmental journalist Joydeep Thakur.
It tells the story of the nearly five million people who call the Sundarbans home, a landscape globally romanticised for its tigers, yet grievously overlooked for its human tragedy.
Rather than relying on dramatic narration or overwhelming data, the film lets the people speak. A farmer describes watching saltwater creep into his fields after every cyclone. It listens to children who have grown up measuring time not by school terms, but by the storms that shape their lives. The film listens to that mother and the boatman when the wind howls, how they both fear for the life of their respective children.
The film is shot in Bengali with English subtitles, taking note from Indian playwright and theatre personality Badal Sircar's work "Bhoma: An exploitation of Subaltern classes." The prophetic writing penned long ago echoes powerfully in the fragile reality of our present.
Experts at the screening reminded the audience that the Sundarbans sit only a few metres above sea level. What were once solid, enduring islands are now under threat as less silt reaches the delta, seas continue to rise and the earth settles downward. Side-by-side comparisons of old and new maps reveal a geography in retreat.
Speakers noted that the crisis in the Sundarbans is incremental but unforgiving. Efforts like stronger embankments and improved healthcare access are vital, but they operate within a much bigger environmental challenge.
Director Mukhopadhyay acknowledged that the documentary only scratches the surface. "The Royal Bengal tiger may draw headlines, but there are way more gigantic human vulnerabilities that are waiting to be acknowledged."
Dr Monjur Hossain, UNICEF’s West Bengal chief, said children should not be seen only as sufferers of climate change but as voices of change. "When children share what they see and experience firsthand, their honesty and emotional clarity can move people in ways that technical reports cannot."
The evening concluded with the announcement of the launch of a Green Festival on World Environment Day, June 5, encouraging children and adolescents to document environmental issues in their communities through short mobile films. Selected entries will be screened alongside expert-made films, fostering conversations between generations.
UNI NST RN
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