(Jun 29, 2025) Taira Malaney is a dreamer. Perhaps it stems from her childhood, influenced by outdoorsy parents who introduced her early to camping and the wonders of the natural world. Or maybe it was her schooling in the misty hills of Kodaikanal, where she developed a deep reverence for nature and the quieter rhythms of life.
Guided by a sense of intrinsic connection with environment and curiosity, the explorer in her finds an expression in her work. An award-winning documentary filmmaker and founder of Emaho Films (the word ‘emaho’ translates to ‘wonder’ in Sanskrit), she is known for her emotionally resonant, environmentally focused storytelling.
Her debut feature, The Turtle Walker, about pioneering turtle conservationist Satish Bhaskar, won the prestigious Silver Anthem Award for sustainability and the Grand Teton Award at Jackson Wild and premiered at top-tier festivals like DOC NYC. Earlier, her short films, A Living Legacy and The Call of Pashmina, were screened at over a dozen international festivals. It is her keen ability to share stories of heroes who are driving change and resonate across the world that makes her a global Indian.
Tiara Malaney
One with nature
Never good at mathematics or physics, the 33-year-old gravitated towards liberal arts, finding a natural affinity for the natural world. It was while studying for a B.A. in psychology in 2013 at Occidental College that she understood the power of fostering empathy in young children and what drives them to show compassion towards others.
Soon after, she participated in a marine conservation program in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, where she held regular film screenings to teach children about the marine world. Their positive response to this teaching method gave Taira insight into the emotional power of film.
“Showing films, reading books, and conducting art activities for children inculcated a sense of wonder in them for marine life. It was here I understood how they reacted to stories of people who protected the coastline and how storytelling could be a bridge to connect people,” she shares with Global Indian.
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Sharing stories of impact
In 2016, having learned to make films through attending conferences and workshops, and collaborating with and gaining mentorship from more experienced filmmakers in the field, she founded Emaho Films, which was founded to tell stories that inspire wonder and drive impact. The first stop was A Living Legacy, where she documents the life of a couple, Pamela and Anil Malhotra, who created a sanctuary of 350 acres in Coorg to conserve the area’s pristine ecosystem.
The learnings have been many. She recalls, “It was the first time I shot a documentary, and I worked on a small budget and a team of just four people; one of them was a childhood friend. What was challenging was learning the difficulties in distributing a film after it’s shot and creating an audience for it.”
The documentary, however, was a critical success and heralded the rise of a young, sensitive filmmaker. What followed was The Call of Pashmina in 2018, a journey into the lives of Changpa nomads in Ladakh that was made from grants Taira raised and was screened at over 15 global festivals. Something larger was to follow soon.
Tiara Malaney at work
Meeting the Turtle Walker
In an article by conservationist Romulus Whitaker, Taira discovered Satish Bhaskar, a reclusive sea turtle conservationist who had, in the 1970s, walked more than 4,000 km of India’s coastline on foot. His mission? To track and protect nesting turtles, often surviving alone on uninhabited islands with nothing more than a notebook and a transistor radio.
What began as curiosity turned into a seven-year odyssey. That became the seed of her first feature film that spans 75 minutes: Turtle Walker. Making the film was a lesson in patience, passion, and precision. The filming was often arduous, with permissions to navigate, remote islands to reach, and shooting in challenging circumstances.
Given that the film has already put the filmmaker on the path of global acclaim, in hindsight it all appears to be a part of the journey. “It’s amazing to see the response of people,” Taira smiles and adds, “I’m glad that people are drawn to these stories, and the response has been extremely positive. It’s getting a lot of audience in the West, and I hope that helps in getting eyeballs in India.”
While Satish passed away in 2023, the film ensures that his legacy lives on forever.
Satish Bhaskar, sea turtle conservationist
A ray of hope
As a young Indian woman filmmaker carving out space in a global conservation arena, Taira’s journey offers valuable lessons. What attracts her to stories is their intrinsic connection to nature and wildlife.
She shares her philosophy and adds, “A lot of movies about the environment and conservation are heavy and depressing. I wanted to inculcate in them an element of positivity so that they are enjoyable while enabling the audience to learn about something new and fascinating.”
Her work also enables her to meet like-minded people. She has learned a lot by meeting people who have a similar compassion towards nature. “I’m a sensitive person, and meeting with a network of researchers, artists, and thinkers has given me a sense of purpose and hope,” she states.
Taira also credits the team of key people—producers, writers, editors, and cinematographers, among others—who she works with and who have been instrumental in making the film. She adds, “I have learned so much from working with these people; in fact, that has been the greatest education for me since I didn’t go to film school. They have all brought something unique to each film.”
The road ahead
With Turtle Walker’s Indian distribution underway, Taira is working on her next slate of films, continuing to blend character-driven storytelling with environmental urgency. Her goal remains the same: to tell stories that make people care about their surroundings.
Living in the village of North Siolim, the filmmaker has had a busy year attending film festivals and promoting the movie. When asked what she likes doing while not shooting, she laughs, saying, ‘anything that does not involve me sitting in front of a screen.’ That involves walking her dogs, swimming, cooking, normal household chores, and spending time with loved ones.
Her future looks exciting. “I’m excited to use the learnings from my earlier films and to challenge myself to do something new. Every film is a crash course in a new subject, and I look forward to it,” she signs off.
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