Mike Pandey -Director
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Mike Pandey was born in Kenya. The Nairobi National Park, which was situated at the back of the Pandey household in Kenya, proved a rich source of inspiration for both him and his brother I. C. Pandey. Mike’s dalliance with the camera started when he was barely seven when an uncle presented him a Kodak Browning Box camera on his birthday. He still owns that heirloom.Trained and educated in the UK and US the brothers experiences have been wide and varied from training in Hollywood, USA as interns and to Director of special effects and war scenes in films like Razia Sultan, Betaab, Gazab etc. in India. But the call of the wild was strong and Mike’s passion and care for the natural world pulled him into the vortex of Indian wildlife.
In 1994, he became the first Asian producer / director to win the Wildscreen Panda Award, also known as the Green Oscar, for his film The Last Migration - Wild Elephant Capture in Sarguja.
In 2000, his film Shores of Silence - Whale Sharks in India, won the Green Oscar for the second time. The film also led to the ban on the killing of whale sharks on Indian shores. This film has also won a National Award for Best Film in the “Exploration & Adventure” Category, 2005.
On October 2004, he did India proud once again by winning the Green Oscar for the Third time for his film Vanishing Giants – a story of his passion and involvement with elephants. This film also led to the ban of cruel and outdated techniques of elephant capture in India.
The prestigious United Nations International Award For Outstanding Achievement In Global Conservation, the PRITHVI RATAN or ‘Son of the Earth’ was awarded to Mike at the Vatavaran Film Festival in November 2003, for his outstanding contribution towards generating awareness, which led to the conservation of a global heritage - the Whale Shark. Mike was also presented with the Award for Cinematic Excellence by Western India’s Cinematographers Association in Mumbai, 2005.
His powerful films are living proof of the difference a film can make in bringing about changes locally, nationally and globally.
Riverbank Studios has produced some of India’s most popular programmes like Earth Matters and Khullam Khulla for children and has won scores of awards - both National and International.
In 2004 Mike brought honour to the country with his Green Oscar nomination for The Filmmaker for Conservation Award - one of the highest awards at the Wildscreen Film Festival – bringing India at par with the worlds top filmmakers and films on natural history, wildlife and environment.
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