In Catapults to Cameras, Kolkata-born wildlife filmmaker Ashwika Kapur sets out on a deeply personal quest to uncover the roots of an illegal wildlife hunting festival in the forests of her home state West Bengal. Each year, thousands of protected animals are massacred here in an illegal blood sport. As Ashwika sets out to find answers, she uncovers a heart-breaking truth: children as young as three are handed catapults as weapons in this assault against wildlife. Ashwika teams up with conservationist Suvra Chatterjee from Human & Environment Alliance League (Heal), an organisation that has been working with the local community for over a decade, to inspire change in the hearts of children within these hunting communities.
The film follows the journey of five children who eventually become conservation ambassadors. It captures their joy, their growth, and the transformative potential of nature education.
Ashwika Kapur is a nature filmmaker from West Bengal, passionately dedicated to wildlife conservation. She had the pleasure of working on various wildlife TV shows and independent films in India and internationally, none have been quite as special to her as Catapults to Cameras. Originating from the depths of her home in West Bengal, this film began as a personal quest to unveil the disconcerting practice of illegal wildlife hunting in their forests. But what began as a humble experiment blossomed into something bigger.