28/07/2024

Best Ecological Film at VRMDŽA FEST: Documentary ‘Life and Death of the Golden River’ – ‘Cheap Justice’ Produced by Association Za Drinking Fountains

The best ecological film at the 8th International Festival of Tourist and Ecological Documentary Films “Vrmdža Fest” is the investigative documentary in two parts “Life and Death of the Golden River” – “Cheap Justice,” produced by the Association ZA DRINKING FOUNTAINS as part of the series “Look Around You,” funded by the EU through the project “Environmental Response to Mining Expansion in Timočka Krajina.”

The executive production is credited to ZA MEDIA, with Dušan Vojvodić as the editor, and authors Suzana Stamenković and Darinka Mihajlović. The cameramen are Dejan Todorović, Dragan Lazarević, Davor Pujić, and David Todorović, the editor is Ivan Čikarić, and the narrator is Ana Vojvodić.

The award was presented on Saturday evening at a special ceremony at the foot of Latin Grad, on the open-air stage in Vrmdža.

The expert jury was chaired by Dejan Dabić, editor of the film program at the Niš Cultural Center and artistic director of the Belgrade International Documentary and Short Film Festival (Martovski Festival), who had nothing but praise for the documentary from Zaječar.

At the festival, awards were presented in the following categories:

– Best TV Film in the Tourism Category
– Best Film in the Tourism Category
– Best TV Film in the Ecology Category
– Best Film in the Ecology Category
– Best TV Film in the Ethno Culture of Rural Life Category
– Best Film in the Ethno Culture of Rural Life Category

In addition to these, several special recognitions were awarded.

The “Petar Lalović” Award for significant contributions to raising ecological awareness through film was presented to Vladimir Perović, a film and television director, while the GRAND PRIX “LATIN GRAD” VRMDŽA FEST 2024 was awarded to Nebojša Ilić Ilke from Vlasotince.

The festival is organized by the Local Action Group Lag Rtanj, a public-private partnership covering the municipalities of Sokobanja and Boljevac, with Forum Artistikum as a partner. Over its eight years of existence, the festival has become a respected showcase for the best documentary achievements in the fields of tourism, rural ethno life, and ecology.

The festival is sponsored by the Municipality of Sokobanja, with logistical support provided by the Vrmdža Local Community and the Sokobanja Cultural Center. They emphasize that the festival, which fundamentally has an ecological focus, perfectly promotes Sokobanja, the first ecological municipality in Serbia.

Let us recall that the award-winning ecological documentary “Life and Death of the Golden River” – “Cheap Justice,” produced by the Association ZA DRINKING FOUNTAINS as part of the series “Look Around You,” and funded by the EU through the project “Environmental Response to Mining Expansion in Timočka Krajina,” was screened as part of the EU GREEN WEEK in mid-June this year in Niš and published on the website of the Delegation of the European Union to Serbia.

Photo: Kristijan Đorđević