Gunjan Menon

My life has centered around documenting the complex relationships between people and wildlife, particularly in regions where human-wildlife coexistence is fraught with conflict. Over the past decade, I’ve dedicated myself to crafting impactful stories that raise awareness about conservation challenges and, more importantly, offer solutions. Growing up in India, I witnessed firsthand the devastating effects of the climate crisis and biodiversity loss on both wildlife and people. I quickly realized the urgency of protecting habitats while ensuring local communities thrive alongside wildlife. This became the backbone of my intersectional work. From my earliest projects, I gravitated toward lesser-known species that don’t typically get the spotlight like the red panda, purple frog, rusty spotted cat, and black softshell turtle.

My first film, The Firefox Guardian (2018), tells the story of a female forest guardian in Nepal who dedicated her life to protecting endangered red pandas. It highlighted the unique intersection of wildlife conservation, community-driven efforts, and the challenges faced by women in a patriarchal society. The film sparked conversations about ecofeminism and still continues to raise funds and awareness for the Red Panda Network, where I now serve as an Advisor. To forward the long-term impact of my work, I co-founded Beyond Premieres, where we started working on stories backwards with an impact-first approach—first thinking of the change we hope to see and then targeting storytelling towards the changemakers.

All my stories have a purpose of having a tangible impact and supporting underrepresented communities in their efforts to safeguard our planet. At a time when human-wildlife conflicts are rising—with devastating consequences on both sides—these stories hold the key to fostering coexistence.

My storytelling emphasizes hope and resilience over despair, blending science with community-driven solutions. Through my films, I challenge traditional narratives, democratizing conservation storytelling by amplifying perspectives that are often ignored. By collaborating with local communities, instead of extractively telling their stories, my work ensures that they not only become subjects of inspiration in conservation films but also active co-creators in their own stories.