Subscriber exclusive  ·  Bonus content

Bonus content, just for you!

In our monthly ‘bonus content’ newsletter, we take a deeper look at the stories behind the films on Wild Commons - the wheres, whats, whos and hows of production, and the topics featured in the films.

In this newsletter, we're going behind the scenes of our latest release, Phir Bhi (Even So). We have Meghna's own account of making the film, production stills from the field, and a piece we wrote about why this story matters so much.

A conversation with…

Making Phir Bhi, In Meghna's Own Words

Before Meghna Nandy was a wildlife filmmaker, she was an assistant director for the costume department of a Bollywood production, being told that ‘cinema is the highest form of technical art. She didn't fully understand what that meant, until she made Phir Bhi.

“I mentally prepared myself to embrace whatever the field offered. Eventually I would realize that this is what makes documentary filmmaking so exciting – the story can and will change and one never knows what they might encounter on location."

- Meghna Nandy, Director

In an article written for Mahanagar, Meghna tells the full story of how the film came together: the nervous phone call to the Voluntary Nature Conservancy, the 46°C heatwave that forced her to throw away her entire script on day one, and the crew of researchers and rescuers who became family.

She writes about the crocodiles basking five feet from her camera, the patience required to wait hours for a single blink or yawn, and the villagers of Charotar who made her one of their own. And she writes about what it felt like to stand in front of her family at the film's first screening.

"I feel like I have brought back a part of Charotar, its houses, food, people, animals and sunsets, with me. I brought back a lot of wisdom too – I learnt to always expect the worst, that a smile can go a long way in making friends out of strangers and failure feels easier when shared with people."

— Meghna Nandy, Director

Production stills

Behind the scenes

From the Wild Commons Blog

Why This Film Matters

We also wrote about Phir Bhi on the Wild Commons blog - about what makes this story so important at a time when human-wildlife conflict is rising across the globe, and why coexistence is less a naive ideal than a practical necessity for the future of conservation itself.

Watch Phir Bhi

If the bonus content has you wanting to go back to the film or you know someone who hasn't seen it yet, here's the link. Share it freely.

We started Wild Commons because we believe the stories that matter most are often the ones that struggle hardest to find an audience. Diving for Rays is exactly the kind of film we built this platform for.

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And one more thing: if you know someone who would love this film - a diver, a marine biology nerd, someone who needs a good story today - please forward this email to them. Word of mouth is how independent films survive.

With gratitude,

Matthew, Kika, Hannah & Jackson

The Wild Commons Team