Ecologico International Film Festival


The Ecologico International Film Festival, also called the EIFF, aims to help discover and develop independent films - social, national and international - committed to issues of contemporary society. The EIFF is the place where you can meet authors and get to know films that by nature are difficult to use and approve through traditional distribution channels. It is held in Nardò, Italy. Founded in Lecce, at the initiative of Italian filmmaker :it:Roberto Quarta|Roberto Quarta, the festival has been celebrated annually in August since 2008.

Special Guests

Special guests of the festival in its first five years have included: the directors :it:Luigi Faccini|Luigi Faccini, :it:Giuseppe Ferrara|Giuseppe Ferrara, Moni Ovadia, :it:Francesca Muci|Francesca Muci, :it:Eleonora Pariante|Eleonora Pariante; the producer :it:Marina Piperno|Marina Piperno; the actor Omar Suleiman ; the screenwriter Vanessa Picciarelli; the director of photography :it:Marc van Put|Marc van Put; the journalists Francesco Farina and :it:Massimo Causo|Massimo Causo; Nabil Salameh and :it:Nando Popu|Nando Popu.

Festival programme

The festival is composed of three different film sections. Films are chosen in each category by a section director with the advice of a committee of film experts. Categories include:
International Film Competition - Feature films, medium length and short films of any kind, addressing, in terms of actuality, the relationship between social communities and between them with the environment; which protect and promote human rights, pluralist democracy and the rule of law, and favor the awareness and appreciation of identity and cultural diversity in the world, coexistence among different peoples, religions and ethnic groups, indicating common solutions to the problems of contemporary society.
Debut Italian Movies - First and second works by Italian directors, outputs during 2011/2012, particularly working on issues of social relevance.
Taranta Movies - Movies that deal with typical issues of cultural - ethnic-anthropological-musical - tradition of Salento.

Awards

The EIFF Taurus Award is the main prize awarded for the best films at the Ecologico International Film Festival.
EIFF Taurus Award
Award for Best Feature Film, for Best Medium length Film, for Best Short Film and for Best Debut Italian Film.
Mer Khamis Award
Award for Best film selected by critics.

In 2011 and 2012, the Mer Khamis was the prize awarded for all the categories.
Taranta Award
Award for the Best Film on traditional folk culture of Salento.

Awards Winners

Taurus Award

International Film Competition

Best Feature Film
Best Debut Italian Film

Best Film on traditional folk culture

Best film selected by critics

Mer Khamis AwardSectionSectionSectionSectionSectionSectionSectionSectionSpecial
YearBest FeatureBest LengthBest ShortBordersDiversityEnvironmentSocietySalentoSpecial Mention
2012Not AssignedNot AssignedNot AssignedSharqiya, Ami LivneGamba trista, Francesco FilippiI morti di Alos, Daniele AtzeniThe Summit, Franco Fracassi-Massimo LauriaApulian Dream, Achille CofanoSpazzatour, Emilio Casalini
Alma, Josè Javier
2011Laberinto Verde, Abel KavanaghHow green was our Valley, Fereshteh JoghataeiSilence, Ava LancheGaza guerra all'informazione, Anna Maria SeliniO' moro, C. Calissoni-E. OffredoLoro della munnizza, M. Battaglia-G. Schimmenti-L. DonatiOil II tempo, Massimiliano MazzottaNot AssignedMilan du Maroccaine, Mounsif Rabi
EIFF Award---------
YearBest FeatureBest LengthBest ShortBordersDiversityEnvironmentSocietySalentoSpecial Mention
2010Basilicata Coast to Coast, Rocco PapaleoIl Vincitore, Davide LabantiCarpa diem, Sergio CannellaNot AssignedBouquet, Walter MazoMoby Dick, Oscar CarraraLife for sale, Yorgos AvgeropoulosNot AssignedEvery day - Ogni giorno Checkpoint di Betlemme, Mara Beccafarri and Massimo Miricola
Rosita no se desplaza, Alessandro Acito and Leonardo Valderrama
2009Uso improprio, Luca Gasparini
Oil, Massimiliano Mazzotta		Polvere, Ivan GergoletUna circostanza fortuita, Emanuele MichettiNot AssignedNot AssignedNot AssignedNot AssignedNot AssignedA li tiempi miei era tutta campagna, Chiara Zilli
YearBest Feature DocBest Length DocBest Short DocBest Feature FictionBest Length FictionBest Short Fiction---
2008Oltre la sbarra, Marco LeopardiPancevo la città morta, Antonio MartinoCavallo di-scarica, Guglielmo Manenti
I PCB, Variemani		Li Promessi Sposi, Andrea BaccassinoQuasisia, Gianni De BlasiQuarantaquattro, Massimo Gabriele Fidanza---

Officinema Summer School

Commencing in 2013, the EIFF has partnered with Officinema, which is a summer cinema school that takes place at the same time as the festival itself.
The event runs 5 days during the EIFF and features workshops, lessons, lectures and panel discussions with well-known professionals addressing issues in filmmaking today.

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