Apr 02 2026 to Apr 02 2026 6:30 p.m.

Where

Bangalore International Centre

7 4th Main Rd, Stage 2, Domlur 560071

Event Description

75 min | English and Hindi with English subtitles | India | 2024 

What makes a man maroon himself?

For Satish Bhaskar, it was turtles. In the late 1970s, when very little was known about India’s coastal turtle populations, Bhaskar set out to walk the entire coastline of the country. Over 4,000 kilometres on foot. Marooning himself on islands. Documenting nesting sites with a meticulousness that laid the foundation for sea turtle conservation across India. After the 2004 tsunami, he went back to see what the sea had taken.

Turtle Walker is Taira Malaney’s documentary account of that life. Seven years in the making, shot across the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, and Goa, and executive produced by James Reed of My Octopus Teacher and co-produced by Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti’s Tiger Baby. The film premiered at DOC NYC and has screened at over 70 international film festivals.

The screening will be followed by a conversation with Taira Malaney, joining virtually, about the film, its extraordinary protagonist, and the ripple effect of one person’s passion. 

Speakers

Taira Malaney
Writer, Director & Producer
Taira is a documentary filmmaker from Goa, India. An Explorers Club 50 honoree, she tells deeply moving, character-driven stories exploring relationships between people and nature. Her films are developed alongside impact campaigns to address urgent social justice and environmental issues. Taira received her B.A. in Psychology from Occidental College, where her focus was on fostering empathy in youth. Since graduating, she has incorporated what she’s learned into directing, producing and writing several award-winning short films. Her directorial debut feature, Turtle Walker, won the Grand Teton at the Jackson Wild Media Awards, and had its World Premiere at ​DOC NYC in November of 2024. She has many short documentaries to her credit including The Call of Pashmina (2018) and A Living Legacy (2017).

Present Virtually.

Umeed Mistry
Underwater Photographer, Videographer, Dive Instructor & Educator
Umeed works as an underwater photographer and videographer, a dive instructor and educator. He has spent the last 29 years practicing recreational and technical diving across the world, teaching scuba in South Asia and furthering the spirit of biophilia through his various inter-disciplinary interests. Umeed conducts specialized underwater courses designed to foster connections between people and the ocean – through explorations into marine and coastal ecology, photography, and videography. His imagery ranges from fine art to scientific documentation – his practice draws one’s eye to aquatic systems and the detail within. He has applied this combination of skills and interests across fields – with numerous popular publications, book and film contributions, scientific publication contributions, exhibitions, educational material and in the setting up of a marine research dive facility on the Andaman Islands – ANET.

Adhith Swaminathan
Conservationist
Adhith’s journey with sea turtles began at the age of 10 with the Students Sea Turtle Conservation Network (SSTCN) in Chennai, where he participated in conservation efforts every year until he graduated. After completing his master’s degree, he joined Dakshin Foundation in 2008 and worked on olive ridleys in Rushikulya, Odisha, for two seasons before joining the leatherback monitoring programme in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in 2010, where he led leatherback research in the islands till 2024. He currently works for Turtle Foundation, working on sea turtle conservation projects in Indonesia, with a focus on Leatherback sea turtles.

Ishan Shanavas
Author
Ishan Shanavas is the 22-year-old bestselling author of The Light of Wilder Things, a memoir chronicling his journeys through India’s forests, mangroves, and coral reefs in search of its vanishing creatures. A TEDx speaker and environmental advocate, Ishan’s work lies at the intersection of storytelling and ecological awareness. His national environmental education program, Eco-Inspire, has reached over 25,000 students across India, fostering curiosity for nature and conservation. Through features on CNN-News18, Scroll, Mongabay, and numerous others, he continues to inspire curiosity for the natural world. He is a recent graduate of Ashoka University, where he studied Environmental Studies, Sociology, and Entrepreneurship.