Bangladesh, December 16, 2022 – “Rivers of Hope”, the short documentary film about the 2022 Averted Disaster Award Winner, the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society (BDRCS), premiered today on the ADA YouTube channel. 

Directed by award winning filmmaker Doel Trivedy, “Rivers of Hope” highlights the work of BDRCS telling the stories of three families who have been impacted by the Super Cyclone Amphan and the successive extreme events in Bangladesh May-July 2020. BDRCS provided forecast-based financing, to vulnerable communities in Bangladesh when disaster strikes. Following the daily activities of these three families, resource distribution and finally actions the families take themselves to move out of danger, we can learn how to mitigate the adverse impacts resulting from climate crisis and the increasing occurrence of extreme weather events

The Averted Disaster Award (ADA) partnered with WaterBear, a free streaming platform dedicated to the future of our planet, to produce the documentary. Founded by Ellen Windemuth, the executive producer of BAFTA and Oscar winning documentary My Octopus Teacher, Waterbear is available across 194 countries and features award-winning documentaries as well as original content – spanning biodiversity, community and climate action.

The film was funded in part by pioneering storytelling Resilient Foundation which gives local filmmakers, storytellers and communities around the world the opportunity to tell important stories. Michael Cain, Executive Director of Resilient Foundation said, “We are pleased to join the Averted Disaster Award to help make the invisible, visible by highlighting successful Disaster Risk Management interventions. This work, which typically goes unnoticed by the public and policy makers precisely because of its success, is critical to building a sustainable world in this era of extreme climatic events.”

The official release of the film took place during the Understanding Risk Global Forum in Florianopolis, Brazil, on November 29^th, when only those participating in the forum were able to watch the documentary. However, today is the first day of the public, online release and you can access it, for free, from any part of the world. “Rivers of Hope” will be also distributed on WaterBear’s free streaming platform.

About

The Averted Disaster Award is an innovative new award that aims to bring visibility to successful disaster mitigation interventions. The award recognizes proactive interventions implemented around the world that help ensure that communities continue to function, thrive, and recover quickly in the face of disaster risk. The Bangladesh Red Crescent Society was announced as the 2022 Averted Disaster Award winner at The Understanding Risk Global Forum (UR22) in Florianopolis, Brazil, a biennial conference that convenes experts and practitioners from all around the world to showcase the best practices and latest innovations in the field of disaster risk identification and management.

The 2023 Averted Disaster Award is open to submissions from individuals, project teams and organizations of all sizes, regions and industries who wish to see particular interventions recognized. Additional information about nomination requirements can be found at www.averteddisasteraward.org.