Who will follow the American film Kifaru, last year’s winner of the Grand Prix EKOFILM? This will not be clear until 16 October 2020, when the opening ceremony of the 46th year of the oldest international film festival on the environment in Europe will take place in Brno. However, film-makers already have the opportunity to enter their films into the competition. Until the end of May, they can do so through the filmfreeway.com portal.
EKOFILM, which is hosted by the Ministry of the Environment of the Czech Republic and organised by event agency Key promotion and Masaryk University, has been looking for the most engaging films about nature for half a century. “It doesn’t matter if the film is from Africa, Asia or Milovice. We are interested in strong stories, film-making statements that can acquaint people with problems in the environment or nature in all their complexity, beauty or tragedy,” says long-term Festival President Ladislav Miko, who adds, “It is films that can bring new stimuli, ideas and fresh perspectives from around the world.”
The dramaturgy selects top 25 films for the competition part of the festival, which will take place in Brno on 14-17 October 2020. The films will compete in three categories – Beauty of Nature, Central European Films and Short Films. The Award of the President of the Festival and especially the Grand Prix – the Main Prize of the Festival of the Minister of the Environment of the Czech Republic will also be awarded. Film-makers can register their films on the filmfreeway.com website until the end of May and just like last year, the registration is charged for. Proceeds from it will go to the festival’s prize money.
The organisers also revealed this year’s topic, which the festival will focus on – sustainable consumption. Minister of the Environment of the Czech Republic Richard Brabec, introduces the topic: “The biggest environmental problems are associated with the growth of living standards, which goes hand in hand with the growth of consumption. That’s why we have to start taming consumption – or rather terrible overconsumption – otherwise we have hardly any chance to change anything, whether it’s greenhouse gas emissions, which are increasing due to the production of short-lived goods, or the production of waste, which can increase by almost 10 percent year on year”.
According to Vice-Dean for Internal and External Communication of the Faculty of Social Studies at Masaryk University Bohuslav Binka, topics such as the circular economy, environmental taxes, overconsumption, repairs, shared economy and slow fashion will be given space. “The accompanying programme will be full of debates and discussions, which will focus on ways to reduce consumption as efficiently and elegantly as possible. Our guests will include economists, environmentalists and people from show business. In addition to this, festival visitors can look forward to the opening concert, afternoon workshops and many opportunities for informal meetings with top film-makers and festival jurors.” The festival programme will as traditionally take place at the Freedom Square and the Faculty of Social Studies. However, the heart of the festival will as usual be the University Cinema Scala, where the competition films will be screened and discussions with the creators will take place.
Festival website: www.ekofilm.cz
Press service: Pavlína Vidnerová, +420 603 159 603, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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