Green Hub Festival 2025 in Tezpur celebrates youth-led conservation and indigenous wisdom in northeast

The Green Hub Festival 2025 concluded its vibrant two-day celebration on May 17, spotlighting grassroots conservation, sustainable development, and community-led environmental action across Northeast India. Hosted in Tezpur, the festival marked the graduation of the 8th batch of Green Hub Northeast (GHNE) fellows, who presented compelling short films highlighting themes of biodiversity conservation, sustainable tourism, community development, and wildlife protection.

From May 16 to 17, the festival brought together a diverse gathering of stakeholders including community youth, conservation practitioners, restoration experts, government representatives, civil society organisations, and Indigenous leaders from across the region. Through powerful storytelling, the event underscored the pivotal role of visual media in environmental advocacy and knowledge sharing.

The graduating fellows, hailing from Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Nagaland, showcased their work through curated screenings followed by interactive sessions, folk music performances, a photography exhibition, and keynote addresses. Their films served as a testament to the transformative power of community engagement in safeguarding Northeast India’s fragile ecosystems.

The festival was graced by distinguished guests including Padma Shri awardee Jadav Payeng (popularly known as the Forest Man of India), Moirangthem Loiya (Forest Man of Manipur), filmmaker Maibam Amarjeet, and Kshitiz Adhiraj, director of Nepal’s independent film collective Docskool. These thought leaders delivered inspiring talks on conservation, Indigenous knowledge systems, and the future of youth-driven environmental action.

Additionally, the Green Hub Festival 2025 marked the launch of the ninth batch of fellows, who are set to carry forward the legacy of visual storytelling as a tool for ecological change. Supported by a wide array of partners such as TITLI Trust, ATREE, ERA DESK/Green Hub, Youth Involve, Nature Mates, NEET, River Project, and Pabhoi Greens, the new cohort reaffirms the growing network of conservationists in the region.

Founded in 2015 by the North East Network (NEN) and Dusty Foot Foundation (DFF), the Green Hub Fellowship is a year-long programme that trains youth from Northeast India in filmmaking and documentation. It empowers them to drive social and environmental change through storytelling.

The Green Hub Project, which has now expanded its footprint to Central India and the Western Himalayas, is supported by Royal Enfield’s Social Mission and Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies. It continues to foster collaboration between youth, communities, and institutions in pursuit of climate resilience, cultural preservation, and sustainable livelihoods.