Amoghavarsha JS is an Indian filmmaker and wildlife photographer. He has worked with companies such as National Geographic and

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in the past. His films have won awards such as the

67th National Film Awards The 67th National Film Awards were announced at a press meet on 22 March 2021 to honour the best Indian films certified in India between 1 January and 31 December 2019. The awards ceremony, at which the Directorate of Film Festivals presents i ...

, the Impactdocs Award of Merit Impactdocs award
/ref> and the Australia India Youth Dialogue alumni grant for the year 2015. His video work on climate change was showcased in the

2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference The 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP 21 or CMP 11 was held in Paris, France, from 30 November to 12 December 2015. It was the 21st yearly session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the 1992 United Nations Framework Con ...

in Paris by Indian Prime Minister

Narendra Modi Narendra Damodardas Modi (; born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician serving as the List of Prime Ministers of India, 14th and current Prime Minister of India since 2014. Modi was the List of chief ministers of Gujarat, Chief Minist ...

and French President

François Hollande François Gérard Georges Nicolas Hollande (; born 12 August 1954) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2012 to 2017. He previously was First Secretary of the Socialist Party (PS) from 1997 to 2008, Mayor of Tulle f ...

. He himself addressed the United Nations headquarters in 2020 when his movie Wild Karnataka was screened there. Amoghavarsha has appeared on the

Star Plus StarPlus is an Indian Hindi language general entertainment pay television channel owned by Disney Star (formerly ''Star India''), a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company India. The network's programming consists of family dramas, comedie ...

show TED Talks India Nayi Soch hosted by

Shah Rukh Khan Shah Rukh Khan (; born 2 November 1965), also known by the initialism SRK, is an Indian actor, film producer, and television personality who works in Hindi films. Referred to in the media as the " Baadshah of Bollywood", "King of Bollywood" ...

Early life

After completing his bachelor's degree in Computer Science, he joined

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon (company), an American multinational technolog ...

as a

software engineer Software engineering is a systematic engineering approach to software development. A software engineer is a person who applies the principles of software engineering to design, develop, maintain, test, and evaluate computer software. The term ''p ...

. He later worked for the local search startup Asklaila as its first employee. He quit his job in 2008 to pursue his passion for wildlife photography.

Photography

Amoghavarsha works with government forest departments, non-profit organisations and media institutions on conservation and education projects. He works closely with CEE and has helped set up interpretation centres. He is also one of the key contributors to the "Science Express - Biodiversity Special", a Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change initiative which toured India for over a year and has been witnessed by more than 2.5 million people. He has contributed to

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research on the cutting-edge digital narratives media project at Hampi. He also conducts photography workshops and expeditions. His work has been exhibited in various national and international events. His work has also been exhibited by UGallery and Williams Sonoma.

Filming projects

*
Indian Wildlife National Anthem
– Amoghavarsha directed a pan-India wildlife national anthem music video was launched as part of the album Shanti Samsara by

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

winner

Ricky Kej Ricky Kej (born 5 August 1981 - Dhaka, Bangladesh) is a multi-Grammy Award-winning Indian music composer and environmentalist. He has performed at venues in over 30 countries including at the United Nations headquarters in New York and Geneva. ...

. * "Secrets of the King Cobra" - This National Geographic film on the world's largest venomous snake saw Amoghavarsha working as an assistant cameraman. The film follows the King Cobra into its world, revealing what it does, where it goes and who it interacts with. *
Jaya Hai Kannada Thaye
– This music video saw Grammy winner Ricky Kej and Amoghavarsha (who not only served as Director but also as Director of Photography), joining hands. Launched on 6 regional channels, this is India’s first wildlife music video. It gained a million views in a week. *
Huli: How to Save the Tiger?
(also known as Huli: Technology to the Frontiers of Tiger Conservation)" - This short film was nominated at India's reputed wildlife film festival "CMS Vatavaran Environment and Wildlife Film Festival 2013". It sheds light on the forest staff that protects our forests as well as what goes into saving the national animal, by going deep into the BRT Tiger Reserve of Karnataka. *
River Terns of Bhadra
- This film showcases the lives of beautiful River Terns that throng the Bhadra backwaters in the summers. It is one of India's first wildlife films to be licensed under Creative Commons (a copyright permission that grants creative work). Nominated at the CMS Vatavaran 2015 film festival, the film was made using hidden camera traps, underwater cameras and high-speed cameras. Premiering at the UB City Amphitheatre in Bangalore to celebrate Wildlife Week, the film assisted the cause of

conservation Conservation is the preservation or efficient use of resources, or the conservation of various quantities under physical laws. Conservation may also refer to: Environment and natural resources * Nature conservation, the protection and managem ...

. *
Kali
Kali wins global film honour
/ref> - This award-winning film on the Kali River that flows through the Western Ghats of India, follows the journey of a 100-year-old grandmother to the source of the river. Following a univocal response from policymakers after watching the movie, the Dandeli Anshi Tiger Reserve was renamed to

Kali Tiger Reserve Kali Tiger Reserve (Kannada: ಕಾಳಿ ಹುಲಿ ಸಂರಕ್ಷಿತ ಪ್ರದೇಶ; formerly Anshi National Park) is a protected area and tiger reserve. It is located in Uttara Kannada district, in Karnataka, India. The park is ...

. The movie won the Impactdocs Award of Merit in 2016. * " Wild Karnataka" - As India's first blue-chip natural history movie, Wild Karnataka showcases the rich biodiversity of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is narrated by Sir

David Attenborough Sir David Frederick Attenborough (; born 8 May 1926) is an English broadcaster, biologist, natural historian and author. He is best known for writing and presenting, in conjunction with the BBC Natural History Unit, the nine natural histor ...

. It was released in PVR screens within India in January 2020 and was shown at a special screening at the United Nations headquarters on World Wildlife Day (March 3). Amoghavarsha co-directed this 4K ultra-HD film with Kalyan Varma. It is the first Indian wildlife film to be released in theatres as well as one that created history by completing 50 days in the theatres. * " Gandhada Gudi" - This is a film featuring actor

Puneeth Rajkumar Puneeth Rajkumar (17 March 1975 – 29 October 2021), colloquially known as Appu, was an Indian actor, playback singer, television presenter, and producer, who worked in Kannada cinema. He was the youngest son of actor and matinee idol Dr. Ra ...

and will be directed by Amoghavarsha. This was

's dream project and is set to be released on 28th October 2022. This feature film shows the actor and Amoghavarsha embark on a voyage into the deepest corners of

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Kar ...

to unravel its breathtaking beauty. * "Wild Mumbai" - This upcoming directorial venture is a project that is similar to Wild Karnataka.It will be directed by Amoghavarsha. This documentary will showcase the biodiversity of places like Aarey Colony, Sanjay Gandhi National Park and the Sewri Mudflats.

Awards and recognitions

* His directorial film Wild Karnataka won the

for Best Exploration/Adventure Film. * He was invited to Australia in 2013 and 2015 to represent

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

as part of the Australia-India Youth Dialogue. * He was invited to

Convention on Biological Diversity The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), known informally as the Biodiversity Convention, is a multilateral treaty. The Convention has three main goals: the conservation of biological diversity (or biodiversity); the sustainable use of it ...

in 2012 to talk about the importance of photography and media in conservation education. * He was invited by Ramesh Srinivasan to

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a Normal school, teachers colle ...

to present his work on use of media and technology in conservation. * His movies, River Terns of Bhadra and Kali have both been nominated at India's top Environment and Wildlife film festival CMS Vatavaran. * In 2020, he was a part of a panel discussion at the UN Environment Programme (along with

) where his film Wild Karnataka was screened on World Wildlife Day. * Canon India announced him as their new EOS Ambassador in June 2020.

Early life

Photography

Filming projects

Awards and recognitions

References

External links