- In COMPETITION
- INTERNATIONAL JURY and GUESTS
- SPONSORS
- Awards of the International Jury of Professionals
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Lia-Olguța VasilescuMayor of Craiova |
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I welcome the initiative of the EcoFest organizers to bring, this year, the festival to Craiova, a festival that has represented over the ten years of existence, a unique civic approach and a strong educational message, addressed especially to the young generation. Craiova is among the few cities in Romania that has a Green City strategy, but also the city with the most beautiful public parks and gardens. Craiova is in the top of the national ranking with the most green space areas per capita, being the only municipality that can boast about the Gold Medal obtained by the Nicolae Romanescu Park project in 1900, at the Universal Exhibition in Paris. And the interest given, in recent years, to improving environmental conditions and, in particular, urban regeneration has been a priority for us, as a local administration. The urban spaces in Craiova have been transformed into real areas of relaxation and cultural expression, through the involvement of visual artists in their arrangement. The presence of the EcoFest Festival in Craiova is an additional proof that our concerns for the environment, art and civic education of young people do not go unnoticed. We support children’s performance and encourage the development of a civic attitude among the young generation, adapted to new realities. Good luck EcoFest 2021 and the best to win! |
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Our congratulations are addressed to the organizers of ECOFEST Romania and to all those who offered their support for this 11th edition of the festival – partners among whom we are happy to include, Dolj County Council. We joined the approach because our concerns converge on this major importance aspect, which is the protection of the environment, a direction in which you act through the resources of art, and we – through the administration mechanisms. We are the institution that implements one of the largest projects, with an impact on the entire county, having in its center the selective collection and recovery of recyclable materials. |
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We are, at the same time, the administrators of one of the largest protected natural areas, the Jiu river Corridor, with over 71,000 hectares, part of the European “Nature 2000” network. Beyond the investments we make in both cases, either directly or through institutions subordinated to the County Council, awareness and education remain essential components in order to achieve our goals. It is also one of the reasons why we took the initiative to found a visiting and information center in the South of the county, a gateway to the heart of this green treasure that we manage and, equally, a provider of informal education, in a friendly manner, encouraging the approach of man to nature. On the other hand, this festival is, without a doubt, an extremely valuable tool of awareness, for bringing to the fore the main issues in the field of environment, and its longevity must be welcomed and supported. With chosen consideration, Cosmin VasilePresident of the Dolj County Council |
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The impact of our activity on the environment is now greater than ever in history. It is a global problem, but its solution also goes through the way in which each of us relates to phenomena that affect our quality of life in the most direct way. The mission of the International Ecology Films Festival – ECOFEST is to generate joy, but also involvement. We missed the festival audience last year, when ECOFEST had to take place online, so I am convinced that the meeting with the Craiova audience for this year’s edition will be a special one.
Lavinia SandruPresident ECO Fest Romania |
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We welcomed and joined with all our determination, the new approach of the European Ecology Initiative Association, which is once again working hard to organize a new complex event dedicated to the forms of ecological education. In other words – to promote a healthy, balanced life, the respect and preservation of nature, in the service of human beings and other living things on Earth. It is natural for us, the Union of Professional Journalists in Romania, which, among our major cultural and social objectives, specific to the guild, has the educational one, of promotion and strong positive influence, for a change of social behavior of future generations of adults, in attitude towards the environment, but also towards other serious problems of humanity. |
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We, the media, need to succeed in determining a major, active and courageous involvement in all the dangers that torment humanity and which, most of the time, we create ourselves. We know that the past editions of this complex event – which traditionally included the International Festival of Ecology Films – ECOFEST – ecological workshops, the actions in the ” Indifference Free Zone ” – enjoyed a large audience and direct participation, which determined us, this year, to be along with the other organizers. Together, we want through our collective attitude to send to all, especially young people, an alarm signal against the destruction of the environment, which is currently being done knowingly, but also a call for active involvement, for improvement and stopping of such criminal interventions. Ultimately, the destruction of nature is a suicide of the Being! Doru Dinu GlăvanPresident of the Union of Professional Journalists in Romania |
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The 2021 edition of the International Ecology Film Festival – ECOFEST is part of our effort to resume the public events that culture lovers in Romania have missed so much in the last year. The approach is all the more opportune as we are talking about a festival with tradition, which over the previous ten editions has happily combined the cultural act with the ecological message. |
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Thus, the event becomes not only a celebration of the film, offered this year to the Craiova audience, but also an effective vehicle for mobilizing the young generation for an environmentally – friendly lifestyle. We want to increase the diversity of the cultural offer after such a difficult period for everyone, so that the public from all over Romania will have access to the widest possible offer of options in the cultural area. Good luck ECOFEST! Bogdan GheorghiuMinister of Culture |
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We appreciate the fact that talented students from Craiova, Dolj County, have the opportunity to participate in the International Ecology Film Festival “EcoFest Romania”, a well-known event in the area of ecology-oriented fiction or eco-fiction, which appeared after ecology became a scientific paradigm and a cultural and civic attitude. | |
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From an educational point of view, the activities carried out within the Festival have an important role in the development of students’ artistic skills and creativity, in the development of civic spirit and awareness of ecological values. Today’s students need methods based on interactive social participation and creativity, but also on the possibility to capitalize on what they have learned in everyday life. The question often arises as to how students can be motivated, how they can be put in situations in which their knowledge is tested in the most efficient way and, last but not least, as attractive as possible. Ecology based education is part of the education for life and many of our students are increasingly receptive to the notions of environmental protection, understand that they live in a polluted environment, that pollution is one of the problems of the modern world and that the future depends on them and the way they will choose to relate to the environment. Alexandru GîdărGeneral Inspector, Dolj County School Inspectorate |
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We are in the second year in which the terrible scourge of the Covid-19 pandemic destroyed or affected destinies, economic and social life at national and global level,human communities, cultural, artistic, sports events, etc. Despite these vicissitudes, with the decisive involvement of the City Hall of Craiova and the Municipal Local Council, as well as with the support of the Dolj County Council, Ministry of Culture and Ministry of Education, we managed not to interrupt this year the previous 10 editions of ECOFEST – International Festival of Ecology Films. Moreover, it seems that the importance of environmental issues will be a major one in the World and the post-pandemic society. |
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All our thanks are going to the jury members, directors, producers and distributors who have agreed to participate in the 11th. edition of our festival, with the most valuable documentaries of ecology subjects.The Jury of professionals, the Jury of students and the general public will view and appreciate a number of 9 environmental films in the Competition section and 8 films in Panorama section – intended for the general public.The themes are diverse, exciting and topical, covering a wide range of geographical areas – from the Far East (Vietnam, Kamchatka Peninsula, passing through Central Asia and Europe, to North and South America (Bolivia). I hope that in the coming years, together, we will continue with the means of film our fight for a greener, cleaner, healthier world. Vladimir MarinArtistic Director Eco Fest, Selector |
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SPONSORS and PARTNERS
INTERNATIONAL JURY
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Alexander GrozevBulgaria – Film critic, Festival founder and director |
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He is a very well-known film critic from Bulgaria. PhD in the Theory of Cinema, Professor of Film History at the South-West University, lecturer for film critic at the National Academy of Film. Jury member at many international film festivals. Member of the Bulgarian Filmmakers’ Association and member in the publishing board of Kino magazine, as well. Founder and Director of LOVE IS FOLLY – Film Festival in Varna, counting for 28 editions. Alexander Grozev was Manager of the National Film Center of Bulgaria, representing member of Bulgaria in the European Association for Media Programs. He published 16 books dedicated to film theory and history and wrote many reviews in publications from U.K., Germany, Russia. |
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Costel SafirmanIsrael – Director, film critic and historian |
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Film critic and historian, documentary film director. In Romania he worked as a book editor for the Meridiane Publishing House, as a researcher at the National Films Archive, as a television filmmaker, as a delegate producer of feature movies and as a film director at the “Alexandru Sahia” Documentary Film Studio. In 1987 he immigrated to Israel. Since 1993, initiates and produces for the Jerusalem Cinematheque the project “Cinematic Variations on Live Classical Music” dedicated to music and film lovers. Between 1993 and 2011, in cooperation with the late historian Leon Volovici, he has been organizing the Jerusalem Cultural Club, whose purpose is to facilitate the spiritual bridging between the Romanian and lsraeli cultures. He has published articles, studies, scientific, theater and film reviews and is a co-author of cinema dictionaries and encyclopedias published in Romania, lsrael and the USA. Among the documentary films he created: Directed by Liviu Ciulei, film TV, 1979 (Special Prize of the Jury granted by the Association of Romanian Film makers); Ars Longa, 1984; Tonight tears are falling for “La Dame aux Camelias”, 1986. “And They Went Away Like the Wind…” (in collaboration with Radu Gabrea), 2010. |
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Bogdan MovileanuRomânia – Film critic, Archivist |
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Graduate of National University of Theatre and Film “I.L.Caragiale” – Bucharest in 2009. He obtained his doctorate in 2016, the topic of his doctoral thesis “Superheroes of a modern mythology – between film and comics”. Since 2006 he has been an editor and curator at the National Film Archive, and from 2016 he is a member of the Film Rating Commission of the National Center of Cinematography (CNC). He was the coordinator of the Romanian stand of CNC at the Berlin Film Festival between 2016-2020 and at Cannes – 2015-2019. Co-writer of several student films and he was acting in the short film End slate, directed by Isabella Szanto. Starting with 2018, he is the artistic director of the Central European Film Festival, in Timișoara. |
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Dan CureanRomânia – Professor, Director, TV organizer |
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Works in media starting 1990, as photographer and editor of the weekly NO, then from 1994 is engaged on public television, Cluj regional studio. Here he is working as cinematographer, and as well in the editorial segment as producer, and documentary filmmaker. He was trained in Discovery Campus Masterschool – 2008. Part of the teaching staff of the Faculty of Theatre and Television at the Cluj University ( UBB) since the beginning in 2005. In 2012 he achieved his doctoral thesis with the title Text and image in the mass-media. Collaborations with some of major broadcasters in Europe and his filmography includes author documentary productions (screenplay, directing, photography), multi-awarded at festivals in the country and Europe. In the previous 10 editions of ECOFEST, the director Dan Curean was an active participant, and his films have enjoyed success, both through the awards given by professional juries, as well as by the audience. 2013 – Baile Felix 2016 – Bucharest 2017 – Suceava 2020 – Bucharest (online edition) |
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Giuseppe PiccilloBELGIA – Actor |
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Giuseppe Piccillo is a young Belgian actor, of Italian origin.He graduated the acting studies at the famous Parisian Theater School – Florent. He was author of many commercials for the French televisions. In the last 7 years he was member in the organizing crew of the Love Films Festival from Mons – Belgium. In 2012 he was acting in the Romanian feature ”Chasing Rainbows”, directed by Dan Chisu. He is a talented animator for street-theater presentations and especially for shows dedicated to children in non-conventional places like schools, hospitals etc. In 2016 he featured in one recent season of the acclaimed Disney serial – Violetta, shot in Paris. He also was acting on the stages of numerous theaters from Belgium and France. In September 2019 he directed his first short film: “Chui désolé”, a film to be opened in this summer, after the end of the pandemic period. Recently he acted in a successful play in Belgium and in France which is called “Don’t walk around so naked!” by Georges Feydeau . |
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Andrei ChiriacRomânia – Director, Sportsman, Stuntman |
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Andrei Chiriac was born in 1976. After a sports career in the field of martial arts and collaboration as a stuntman in several Romanian and foreign film productions, he attended courses in New York, at the School of Visual Arts and is a graduate of UNATC ( University of Theater and Film) – Bucharest , Film Directing section, in 2007. In his filmography there are several short films and commercials, as well as the feature-length artistic documentary Stories about Vlad Voievod Draculea, as a director and co-producer. (Award for Directing at the International Ethnographic Film Festival – Zlatna, 2015). He is currently working on a TV series – Egregora, The Lost Treasure – (director) and on the feature film Romania Mon Amour (screenwriter, director and producer). |
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Marina RomanRomânia – Journalist, Art Critic, Professor |
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Marina Roman, member of Romanian Filmmakers Union (UCIN) and founder of Romanian Film Association “Document.Art”, is a journalist, specialized, since 1982, in the field of culture. She is a graduate of the University of Theatre and Film “I.L.Caragiale” in Bucharest . In print media, radio and TV, she worked with the same pleasure, being editor, deputy editor or general secretary of the editorial staff. She is also Professor Doctor at the Hyperion University in Bucharest , teaching Television. Her doctoral thesis (published as tome) is entitled: “Theatrical Ambiguity and Liturgical Finality in Andrei Tarkovski’s Work”. Marina Roman has a rich activity as an art critic and promoter of art, interested to encourage young talented artists. Her faith is that art means emotion. According to this faith, Marina Roman is also a poet: her recent book of poetry – “Fascinating Medusa“ – was and editorial success. She is the author of TV documentaries and also director of the TV talk show Live your art !, which, during 100 episodes, had as guests many cultural representatives of Romania, from film directors to cinematographers, academicians and actors. |
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Awards of the International Jury of ProfessionalsBest Photography Award |
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KAMCHATKA BEARSRussia – 2018Director of photography : Dmitry Shpilenok |
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Best Screenplay Award |
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SAMUEL IN THE CLOUDSBelgium/Netherlands/Bolivia – 2017Written & Directed by: Pieter Van Eecke |
Best Direction Award |
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ZHALANASH – EMPTY SHOREPoland – 2017Director, Scriptwriter, Photograpy: Marcin Sauter |
Special Award of the Jury |
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ARICASweden/Chile/Norway/Great Britain – 2020Screenplay: Lars Edman, William Johansson Kalén |
Mention |
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DOWN THE STREAMVietnam – 2015A film by : Mai Huyen Chi (Chi Mai) |
GRAND PRIX ECOFEST 2021awarded by the Jury of Students |
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ARICASweden/Chile/Norway/Great Britain – 2020Screenplay: Lars Edman, William Johansson Kalén |
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