Let's meet festival film jury!

Jan. E. Svatoš

A winner of two special awards of Special Jury Award and an author of more than 15 documentaries, most of which were entered into competitions and were awarded in International film festivals. His the most successful films are The Ark of Lights and Shadows, divoČINY, Africa Obscura, Nobody Asked and When the Lion Roars. Jan has long collaborated with Czech Television and Czech Radio, and his projects have involved major figures from the world of film - Werner Herzog, Jane Goodall and David Bordwell. He is the host of the Night Microforum programme on Czech Radio Dvojka.

Prokop Pithart

His passion for nature and its popularisation led him to documentary filmmaking and social media work. He is constantly trying to convey understandable information about animals, both familiar and less common ones, as well as more complex conservation issues.When he filmed the shows Into the Wild and Into the Stream for Czech Television, his goal was to teach viewers how to look around in nature so they could better observe and understand its beauty and complexity. He was filming a short documentary about the restoration of the forest after a big fire in Czech Switzerland. This project brought him not only valuable experience, but also a deeper understanding of the work that conservationists do. In the Třeboň region, where he grew up, he rented a pond, which became the main subject of his next feature documentary, planned for three years. He lives in Černošice with his wife, Kateřina, but often returns to Třeboň, where he spent his childhood. His work and life are connected to nature, which he tries to bring closer to others.

Rachel Caplan

Rachel Caplan is a dedicated environmental film programmer and festival producer with over 25 years in the cinema industry. Her work emphasizes the power of storytelling in environmental advocacy. In 2023, Rachel co-founded Scotland’s first environmental film festival, the Montrose LandxSea Film Fest, significantly contributing to environmental cinema in the UK. Her career highlights include directing the International Ocean Film Festival and founding the San Francisco Green Film Festival, where she pioneered impactful community engagement for over a decade. Rachel's expertise spans across major film organizations such as the SFFILM, BFI London, and Edinburgh International Film Festivals, along with studio publicity roles at Paramount and Universal. Rachel has an MA in Cinema from the British Film Institute (BFI) and is a voting member of BAFTA. After many impactful years in the USA, she is now focused on advancing environmental narratives globally from her homeland, Scotland.

Rozárie Haškovcová

Rozárie is an environmental influencer and activist who aims to spread awareness and education about environmental protection. She is studying political science and thus focuses mainly on environmental politics and its popularization. In this context, she is also an ambassador for the European Climate Pact.

Martin Čech

A Czech cameraman and documentarian, a member of the Film and Television Academy and the Association of Czech Cinematographers, a teacher, and a graduate of FAMU in Prague. In 1999, he was awarded a Český lev prize as a cameraman on the Kuře melancholik film. He participated in a couple of features and many TV programmes. He made his mark as a documentarian with Kristova léta, dámy… documentary, which was awarded first prize at the FINÁLE PLZEŇ film festival in 2004. He makes feature films and documentaries. He has visited over sixty countries with his camera. Recently, he has participated in a film Milan Kundera: From Joke to Meaninglessness and he is shooting a film about the memories and work of director Miloš Forman in the USA. Las year he completed a feature film for theatres, “Cherchez la femme“, which is a relationship comedy starring the Czech actress Hanka Wagnerova. And this year Martin is making a feature film, Summer with Eugene, directed by Miloslav Šmídmajer..

Blažena Hušková

An author, implementor and consultant on a range of projects in the area of protection of nature and landscape. fter graduating from the Faculty of Science Charles University she dedicated hersef to the protection of nature and landscape. She co-founded and led the Foundation for Jizera Mountains and for over 20 years she was a member of the board of directors in Foundation Relationships. In recent years, she has been professionally involved in so-called place-based learning with a focus on schools and educators. She is currently completing a book that focuses on teachers' experiences of teaching children in their local context.