NEW DELHI: Eminent actor, director and producer Amol Palekar will head the jury for the coveted 7th CMS Vatavaran Awards in national and international categories.

The Award Jury is meeting from today for three days at the ITC Maurya, New Delhi.

The jury comprises 14 eminent personalities from widely divergent sectors and streams, that is filmmaking, conservation, research and media will be headed by Amol Palekar

The jury members include World Bank New Delhi senior environmental specialist, Dr Anupam Joshi; Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts (IGNCA) member secretary (Chief Executive Officer) Dipali Khanna; author, columnist, birder Ranjit Lal; filmmaker, Vichitra Nirmiti, Pune Sumitra Bhave; film critic and senior columnist The Indian Express Shubhra Gupta; The Hindu, New Delhi features editor Ziya Us Salam.

CMS Vatavaran received a total of 541 entries out of which 86 Indian and International films have been nominated in 11 categories. The Awards will be conferred on 2 February 2014 during the 7th CMS VATAVARAN 2014 International Environment & Wildlife Film Festival and Forum which is scheduled from 30 January to 3 February 2014 at IGNCA Lawns, New Delhi.

Vatavaran is India’s only International Environment & Wildlife Film Festival and Forum organised as initiative of Centre for Media Studies, New Delhi. The festival is not just a film festival celebrating the cinematic art of films but focuses more on using the films as a tool and catalyst for creating impact. The festival has an International recognition and till date 39 festivals have been organised in 26 cities of India ever since its maiden run in 2002.