A leopard spends a lazy Monday morning sunbathing at Alipore zoo. Picture by Sanjoy Chattopadhyaya

The Cherub of the Mist, a wildlife documentary by the Bedi brothers and partly sponsored by the West Bengal forest department, has won the 25th Wildscreen Award, popularly known as the Green Oscar, at Bristol, UK.

The documentary, directed by Rajesh and Naresh Bedi, based on the highly-endangered red pandas, won the prestigious award beating 412 entries from 45 countries across the globe.

The Cherub, that topped the category for film-makers from developing countries at Wildscreen, was also awarded as the best film on conservation and environment at the 29th International Wildlife Film Festival in Montana, earlier this year.

But then, most Bedi films make it big, be it Saving the Tiger, Cobra — The Snake God, Ganesh — The Elephant God, Whistling Hunters or Ladakh: The Forbidden Wilderness.

But The Cherub was special, as it was made for a cause and its success was reward against the numerous challenges the brothers had to face.

Along with elusiveness of the wild beasts and months of work in snow and rough weather, getting finance for the documentary was the biggest hurdle for the Bedis.

“The two red pandas, Sweety and Mili, bred in captivity, were released in their natural habitat as a part of the Central Zoo Authority-funded project, Red Panda, last November. This was a rare chance for any wildlife film-maker because filming red pandas in their natural habitat is nearly impossible. We were confident about tracking Sweety and Mili, but no one was interested in funding us,” recalled Naresh Bedi.

“When I made my first film, Gir Lions, for Doordarshan in the 1970s, the budget was Rs 2,000. And today, Discovery or National Geographic cannot imagine budgets below $ 500,000. We couldn’t find the Rs 50 lakh we needed for The Cherub even after pooling our savings. Thankfully, the West Bengal forest department came forward to rescue us,” recollected Bedi.

“The film is an introduction to successful conservation projects. We have been able to document many intimate moments in the lives of red pandas. The tale of Sweety and Mili, I am sure, will inspire many to preserve wildlife,” signed off Bedi, who is busy on two documentaries on Ladakh.