Wade, a short film by Ghost Animation Collective, is set in a dystopian, sinking Kolkata where humans and tigers are pitted against each other in a brutal struggle for survival.
In the not so distant future, rising sea level has wrecked the Sundarbans; and the tigers have crept into a dying Kolkata after the loss of their natural habitat. The wealthy have left the city while the poor have been left behind to barely eke out an existence.
Stranded train stations stand frozen in time. Crows are more vicious than ever. The remaining humans wear a look of bewilderment and are solely concentrated on scavenging to the exclusion of all else. Tigers have banded together, regardless of their solitary nature. The famous Park street, a haven for nostalgic Kolkatans, has become a battleground in Wade.
Cyclone Amphan, the deadliest cyclone in recent memory, has made the short film more relevant than ever, bringing attention to Kolkata’s poor infrastructure and seasonal flooding risks.
Upamanyu Bhattacharyya (26) and Kalp Sanghvi (28) co-directed the project after realizing the woeful shortage of quality disaster films set in their home city and the lack of meaningful conversations regarding climate change.
The nine-minute short film bagged the prestigious City of Annecy Award, the Best Art Direction at Animayo film festival and the Audience Award at Brooklyn Film festival.