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“As far as concerns the environment, I believe that we do not want to cut off the branch, we are sitting on,” says the foreman of the TUR Film festival Zdeněk Filip. The last week of April 2010 is dedicated to the TUR Film Ostrava festival concerning the environmental issues. The international jury will choose the best movies out of more than forty registered ones. The most impressive films will be awarded with festival statuettes. The foreman of the jury has had for many years the main say in the movie selection. His name is Zdenek Karel Filip – qualified, worldwide reputable environmentalist who lives in Germany. We asked him several questions.
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06.04.2010
“As far as concerns the environment, I believe that we do not want to cut off the branch, we are sitting on,” says the foreman of the TUR Film festival Zdeněk Filip. The last week of April 2010 is dedicated to the TUR Film Ostrava festival concerning the environmental issues. The international jury will choose the best movies out of more than forty registered ones. The most impressive films will be awarded with festival statuettes. The foreman of the jury has had for many years the main say in the movie selection. His name is Zdenek Karel Filip – qualified, worldwide reputable environmentalist who lives in Germany. We asked him several questions.
Mr. professor, what is the main task of the festival jury of which you are the foreman?
The task is to watch all signed movies and to evaluate them according to the specific criterions. The list usually consists of dozens of films whose duration match the short film, but some of them meet the criterions of the full-length films. The members of the jury fully concentrate on each of them. We feel concerned with movie authors, festival visitors and also with the festival organizer – the corporate town of Ostrava. The jury sometimes reaches the agreement unanimously, sometimes by the majority of votes but all the decisions are recorded and all the jury members must sign their conclusions. In this point of view being a member of the festival jury is very responsible task. After several years of my involvement in festival I am glad to be frank and say: the opportunity to cooperate with festival organizers, brisk discussions with audience, kindly and hospitable atmosphere of murmur Ostrava have become part of my heart.
You watch many various documentaries each year. Do their topics and characteristic features change somehow?
You see, I have thirty years lasting experience – particularly based on my work for the Federal office for the environment and on my pedagogic work at the Technical university of Berlin. And the Federal Assembly of Germany has accepted The Environmental Protection Act in 1998 already. This document pointed to the necessity of close interaction between ecological, social and economical aspects and ties in order to reach the social goal of sustainable development. And such an integrated approach has appeared in last years´ festival movies. The authors divert form the pleasing, natural romantic subjects of their movies and they want to draw our attention to disturbing issues like harmful exploitation of natural resources, negative features of consumer lifestyle, accumulation of municipal and industrial waste. Authors have also focused on enhancing social inequalities and on the impassive social relations.
What is your subjective attitude to the TUR Film festival? What is its main contribution?
I think of the festival as a demonstration of cultural and environmental liberality and responsibility -the responsibility of Ostrava´s citizens, their elected deputies and the Fabex TV. It is a responsibility for the environment where live hundreds of thousands of citizens. Current Ostrava´s citizens and next generations have got the full right to demand all-embracing healthy development. TUR festival gives them many actual and useful information and suggestions. But the signification of the festival is multiregional, because its main topic – sustainable development is the question of the whole mankind survivance. Festival is important for its long-lasting tradition and its thoroughly specialized content. It shows more ways how to reach the goal of sustainable development. As far as concerns the environment, each year of the festival brings significant information about nature and about human society which live among it. I hope that festival movies give the festival visitors impulses to actively participate in the environmental protection and sustainable development.
Do you think that the environmental education is important for young people?
Education both based on growing personal experience and socially influenced education is the multiaspect process, concerning all generations. As far as concerns the environment, I believe that we do not want to cut off the branch, we are sitting on. In other words, everyone wants to breathe fresh air; everyone wants to have sufficient of drinking water and healthy food. We all want to have a joy out of biodiverse nature. To reach it, we must educate ourselves all the time and use this knowledge positively. Movie that influences us visually, auditory and emotionally is the best instrument. This is the reason why TUR festival has educational significance. Many of those films present current conditions and appeal on responsible behavior. That is why I believe that this topically rich movie festival will fulfill its positive purpose.
Bc. Michaela Bartošová, press agent of the festival