Ministry of the Environment

STATUTE

STATUTE – GENERAL RUGULATIONS FOR MOVIE SUBMITTING

 

50TH EKOFILM INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL FILM FESTIVAL

 

Brno, 1–6 October 2024

 

EKOFILM is an international film festival about the environment, natural and cultural heritage. It brings a wide range of viewers the latest findings about the condition of nature and the environment in various countries of the world and in many cases facts about dealing with serious issues. EKOFILM is gaining increasing acclaim at international level. It is among the oldest environmental film festivals in the world and is a significant platform for encounters between the general public and film creators, experts and the state administration. Several foreign experts attend the festival.

PRIZE MONEY: The festival does not have any income from the collection of registration fees – all the income generated in this way will be used in its entirety as a financial prize for the author/authors of the best film of the festival (The Main Prize) and, if adequate receipts are collected, the winning films in all the other competition categories can also be rewarded financially in a ratio of 60% for the Main Prize and 40% for the other 4 prizes. Please note that we are not able to provide any waiver codes. 

The 50th IFF EKOFILM is hosted by the Ministry of Environment (Vršovická 1442/65, 100 10 Prague 10) and organised by Key promotion, s.r.o. (Kazaňská 121/1, 10200 Praha), the Department of Environmental Studies of Masaryk University (Žerotínovo nám. 617/9, 601 77 Brno) and EkoInkubátor, z.ú. (Zámecká 91/31, 664 41 Troubsko).

The 50th IFF EKOFILM will take place 1–6 October 2024 in Brno – in the Cinema City Velký Špalíček, on the premises of the Masaryk University and other.

Documentary, acted, animated and experimental films from whole the world, focussed on protecting the environment, natural and cultural heritage, issues of sustainable development and other environmental issues can be registered to participate. The competition categories are BEAUTY OF NATURE (international competition of feature environmental documentary films), VISIONS OF NATURE (international competition of medium length films or the episodes of television/internet series focused on environmental topics), IN SHORT (international competition of short environmental films).

The festival program consists of an international competition of 25 ecologically-themed films and accompanying events (non-competitive films, concerts, debates, presentations, workshops …)

The deadline for registering films (including sending films) to the festival competition is 31 May 2024. Films are registered by means of the FilmFreeway platforms at the https://filmfreeway.com/EkoFilm-556504 web address. Registration refers to the day on which a fully and correctly completed registration form was submitted along with all the annexes and the registered film. Only works created after 1 January 2022 that have not been screened at previous years of the festival can be registered for the competition sections.

Registered films will be assessed by an expert selection committee which will decide on the 25 films for inclusion into the festival competition by a majority vote by 31 July 2024. If a film is chosen for the competition section, the applicant will be informed immediately and will also be obliged to provide the film at its own expense in the highest screening quality and without protection against copying. The organiser prefers the sending of the film electronically in the form of an electronic link with a password via a storage site such as (Vimeo/YouTube/FTP/...) or by post on a DVD/Blu-ray carrier. Each film must include an English scriptand the entrant must also supply other necessary materials about the film (photographs from the film and of its Director/team, advertising materials, stories from the filming, personal stories, trailers etc.) which will serve the festivals advertising purposes and to which the author agrees to their use in forwarding them.

The organiser has the right to not include a film in the competition if the entrant does not forward the above mentioned material.

By registering the film for the competition, the applicant as the owner of distribution rights and copyrights agrees to the free screening of the film at the festival. The applicant grants the event managers the right to present a trailer and photographs from the film free of charge on any television station in the Czech Republic, on the internet and at cinemas, for the purpose of promoting the festival. This trailer must be no more than three minutes long. The applicant takes into account that the films will be provided to the Ministry of the Environment of the Czech Republic archive. By submitting registration form, you also consent to screening at the EKOFILM Echoes (a non-commercial screening of festival films which can be organised free of charge by any institution/civic association).

The announcement of the winning films and awards presentation ceremony will take place on 5 October 2024 in Brno. The international jury will present the following awards at the festival:

  • The Minister’s Award – The main prize for the best film of the festival
  • The Festival President’s Award
  • Best film in the category: Beauty of Nature
  • Best film in the category: Visions of Nature
  • Best film in the category: In Short

The jury has the right not to present certain awards. The film creators are expected to attend the awards ceremony in person or send a recorded speech.

In submitting movies, the entrant agrees with the processing of personal data.

Disputed cases, which are not resolved by this statute, will be decided by the host. Legal disputes will be resolved pursuant to the Czech legal code.