The winner of the EKOFILM Main Prize is a German film about a stray Ethiopian she-wolf.

The Friday ceremony awarding prizes to winners closed the second day of EKOFILM. Are you also curious who has won EKOFILM prizes? Five categories mean five winners! And who has actually triumphed? 

The Main Prize of the Minister of the Environment

Megeti – Africa's Lost Wolf, Germany, 2017, director Yann Sochaczewski

The Main Prize of the Minister of the Environment Richard Brabec was awarded to the German film directed by Yann Sochaczewski and titled Megeti – Lost She-Wolf, a moving story of an Ethiopian she-wolf that is wandering arid highlands on the roof of Africa. Director Sochaszewsi was making the winning film in a breath-taking African landscape four thousand meters above the sea level. He was keeping an eye on Megeti’s everyday efforts to find a new pack, which was bringing unusual and surprising moments.

The Prize of the President of the Festival Ladislav Miko

Burning Issue, Italy, 2017, director Luca Bonaccorsi

This year the Prize of the President of the Festival Ladislav Miko has been awarded to the film Hot issue of the Italian director Luca Bonaccorsi who came to receive the prize in person. His film is maping several European cases where excessive support to production of bioenergy caused severe damage to the nature.

“It is important to know and monitor consequences of our decisions. Even a good intention can have negative impacts on our world and future. This film draws attention to a similar situation. As the consequences have the most severe impact on eco-systems and soil functioning, it was a clear choice for me as a soil ecologist,” Ladislav Miko, the President of the Festival comments his decision.

Beauties of Nature

Immortal Forest, Slovakia, 2017, director Erik Baláž

In the category Beauties of Nature the triumph goes to the Slovak document Immortal Forest by Erik Baláž. “A unique forest includes trees at the average age of five to eight hundred years, some are even thousand years old. In the film we try to show how the environment works and how interconnected everything is in the forest,” Erik Baláž describes his film in which the relation of the forest and animals is narrated using a story of a bear in the Tatras mountains.

Czech, Slovak and Central-European Films

Bugs, Germany, 2016, director Björn Platz

The jury opted for the German document about the real role of insects as inhabitants of the planet titled Small Superheroes to be the winner of the category of Czech, Slovak and Central-European Films. “The EKOFILM prize is a real honour to use. It is immensely interesting to see how such film is born, as a baby, and then it grows and goes to see the world and meet other people and friends. Just as, for example, in Brno,” says the director Björn Platz together with the film producer Tristan Chytroschek.

Short films

End of Snow, USA, 2016, director Morgan Heim

The Short Films category offered a show of twelve films and its winner is the document End of Snow of the American director Morgan Heim. “I am very happy that we can be part of the festival and that such events help us share a very private story of Doctor Jane Zeliková with another part of the world,“ the director sent her message from abroad.