"The main priority at the moment is stopping the epidemic. We nevertheless didn't want to give up on the festival and its films. The main theme of this year's edition – the sustainable consumption – is even more topical today. It is exactly right now when many services have been limited that we have the opportunity to think about our consumption. EKOFILM will make most of its competition films available online, so we can gain inspiration for solutions that will not be dependent on disposable products and packaging. Filmmakers from the whole world sent in their films full of inspiring ideas and recommendations on how to handle our consumption in the sustainable way, and both them and the audience deserve that the films be streamed notwithstanding the difficult times," says the Minister of the Environment of the Czech Republic Richard Brabec.
The Grand Prize of the Minister of the Environment of the Czech Republic Richard Brabec goes to the Russian film Sockeye Salmon. Red Fish. Thanks to the enthralling shots and testimonies of local experts, the film helps us become conscious of the fragile balance of natural ecosystems on which our lives depend.
The Festival President Ladislav Miko’s Award goes to the director Zdeněk Zvonek for his film Unrestrained Virgin Forest that depicts efforts of Czech nationals to preserve a part of an intact natural landscape of the White Carpathians in the form of a private forest reserve. The winner in the category Beauty of Nature is the American film The Last Ice by Scott Ressler. The jury selected the German film On Thin Ice by the directors Henry M. Mix and Boas Schwarz as the winner in the category Central European Films. From the ten films competing in the category Short Films, the Italian Robin Food by Pavel Maximov emerged victorious.
The recording of the Closing ceremony of EKOFILM 2020 hosted by Vladimír Kořen and Ladislav Miko is available online as well as the traditional Opening debate: Is consumption necessary? and the Opening music show with Captain Demo.
Festival website: www.ekofilm.cz
The 46th IFF EKOFILM is hosted by the Ministry of the Environment of the Czech Republic. The organisers are Key promotion, Masaryk University and EkoInkubátor.