EKOFILM celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. Filmmakers can now submit films to the festival competition

Starting today, filmmakers can submit their films to the 50th edition of EKOFILM, the oldest environmental film festival in the world, organised by the Ministry of the Environment. Filmmakers can submit their films at www.filmfreeway.com until the end of May. The festival will take place in Brno from 1 to 6 October. 

"For half a century, EKOFILM has been presenting the world's top films focused on protecting and understanding nature to the Czech and international public. I know of no other nature festival in the world with such a long tradition, and I believe that this year's show will be an exceptional celebration of the anniversary," says Ladislav Miko, who has been the festival's president for ten years. We will be able to put together a programme full of fascinating stories and meaningful discussions that will engage the participants and grab them by the heart.

The festival will offer three competition sections. The Beauty of Nature feature film showcase will be complemented by an international competition of medium-length films and a stand-alone documentary series titled Visions of Nature. The competition section will be complemented by a competition of short films with the new title, In a Nutshell. "The format of medium-length films and single episodes of TV documentary series dealing with environmental issues must not be absent at EKOFILM. In these shorter formats, filmmakers often deal with interdisciplinary encounters with ecology. The section will offer viewers environmental topics seen from the perspective of economics, sociology, architecture or philosophy," explains festival dramaturge Jitka Kotrlová. 

This year, there is also one central theme around which the discussions and the accompanying programme will mainly revolve. "In this 50th anniversary year, we want to focus more on conflicts and their environmental impact. This is not just about war but also societal conflicts, which ultimately are mainly to the detriment of nature. However, we also want to focus on returning new life to the landscape. Nature restoration is what we want to highlight in this year's edition. Together with the creators and the audience, we want to reflect on our relationship to nature and the challenges we face today," says Environment Minister Petr Hladík, whose ministry is responsible for organising the festival. "The idea is to recognise and understand the complexity of the relationship between human civilisation and the natural world, as well as the conflicts that occur in nature independently of human presence," adds Hladík.