Hyderabad filmmaker’s documentary wins top honour in Argentina

Hyderabad-based filmmaker Ankit Pogula’s documentary BheḌ Chāl (Herd Walk) has won the Best Film award at the Pasturas Film Festival 2026 in Argentina. The film explores the lives of Kuruba shepherds in Karnataka and their deep connection with land, livestock and sustainability.

Hyderabad: ‘BheḌ Chāl’ (Herd Walk), a documentary directed by Hyderabad-based filmmaker Ankit Pogula, was recently declared the Best Film at the Pasturas Film Festival 2026 in Mendoza, Argentina.

The documentary is set in northern Karnataka and follows two Kuruba shepherds as they narrate their lived relationship with sheep, land and community. Told entirely in the shepherds’ own voices, the film reframes sustainability not as a policy abstraction, but as a daily and practised way of life.

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According to the film crew, what makes ‘BheḌ Chāl’ distinct is its first-person narration, with no experts or external interpretation, relying solely on lived experience. The documentary also emphasises authenticity over advocacy and strikes a balance between emotional and analytical storytelling, using personal narratives to highlight broader sustainability challenges.

The film won the Best Documentary on Nature Award at the DokuBaku International Film Festival in Baku, Azerbaijan, and was shortlisted by the Green Film Network, often referred to as the “Green Oscars”. It has also been screened at prominent film festivals, including MIFF, IDSFFK, FSA and DokuBaku.

Ankit is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and the founder of Tuning Fork Films. A graduate of the Mass Communication Research Centre (MCRC), Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, he has been creating impactful and socially relevant films since 2004.

Over the years, Ankit has collaborated with leading national and international organisations, including the British Council, TERI, Tata Trusts and the Azim Premji Foundation, producing films and media projects focused on education, sustainability and social development.