"More people are now alert to the idea of climate change. During the tsunami in 2004 a lot of people felt the wrath of climate change," says filmmaker Rohit Gandhi, whose documentary "On Thin Ice," was screened in the US recently.

With his "Inconvenient Truth," a critically acclaimed film, former US Vice President Al Gore seems to have set the buck rolling for films on green themes. Hollywood actor Leonardo Di Caprio has attempted an environmental documentary, "11th Hour" and closer home in India many filmmakers are producing cutting edge documentaries on the subject.

While such films are more or less addressing the sameissues, an improvement in the overall quality of such films has piqued the interest of audiences who are also waking up to the threat of global warming and other environmental concerns.

"Viewers have become more sharp and the audience is now demanding. With the availability of better quality equipment and special lenses I was able to do two films on highly specialised subjects like the horse shoe crab and stem cells," says Mike Pandey an environmental filmmaker.

From rising sea levels to dipping temperatures, and managing water resources to saving the tiger, for filmmakers, choosing a subject is much less challenging than meeting high interest levels of the audience.

"For a lot of people meeting the basic issues on climate change still remains far from understood. For example, in my film we have explained how brown clouds can affect the glaciers," says Rohit Gandhi.

Mike Pandey who specialises in wildlife and environmental films points out that his documentary series on Doordarshan has evoked interest from rural audiences. "People ask me to do docus on cockroaches, dolphins or something else for which they need more information."

"Commitments and concerns are increasing and the films have to show how to adapt and live in a changing environment. Because at the end of the day it is not about writing a cheque and getting rid of your guilt," says Pandey.

The challenge for most filmmakers now seems to be keeping the focus tight. "What do we keep in and what to leave out matters." says Gandhi whose film travels to Sikkim to explore the looming threat of rivers drying up.

Mumbai-based engineer turned filmmaker Nitin Das whose film was picked by the UN as part of its initiative to green the planet and stop global warming says everyone is concerned but there is no effort by big filmmakers to address the issue.

"I think the product is market ready for such films. The film Day after tomorrow, is made for the Indian audiences. Everyone is concerned about the changes in the climate but none of the established filmmakers are taking the plunge," says Das.

Filmmakers argue that more than equipment, it is the quality of research and the investment in people that go on to make a truly good environmental film.

"Al Gore's film was very good and extremely scientific at many levels. But for people like us, research has to be done on the ground. It has to tell stories on the ground," says Gandhi.