The International Ecology Film Festival RZAV FILM FEST is held every year in August on the Veliki Rzav River in Arilje, Serbia. It's organized by the Ecological Association Rzav.
The mission of the festival is to promote the art of film to protect rivers and watercourses, with a special emphasis on the preservation and protection of the Veliki Rzav River.

The objectives of the Ecological Association Rzav are environmental protection, river conservation, particularly the preservation and protection of the Veliki Rzav River, biodiversity conservation, flora and fauna preservation, and the promotion of a healthy lifestyle through the organization of cultural, sports, and tourist activities. In addition to the festival, the association organizes international ecological camps, exhibitions, and the international rafting regatta "Proteci Rzavom."

The association collaborates with many international nature conservation organizations, the most important being The Nature Conservancy and WWF. It also cooperates with the Municipality of Arilje, the Institute for Nature Conservation of the Republic of Serbia, the Ministry of Environmental Protection, and the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Serbia.

Awards & Prizes

The "Golden Drop of Rzav" Award
prize for the best film of the festival which includes a statue and cash prize worth 500 USD

Best Environmental Film Award
which includes a plaque and a cash prize worth 200 USD

Best Aquatic Film Award
which includes a plaque and a cash prize worth 200 USD

Audience Choice Award
which includes a plaque

Student Jury's Choice Award
which includes a plaque and a special award from the student jury.

All films selected for the festival competition will have the right to bear the festival wreath - the Rzav Laurel.

Rules & Terms

All film submissions must be made online with a live link to YouTube or Vimeo, and passwords for viewing access.
Submission Methods: FilmFreeway Only

- Films that will be selected for the festival competition must meet the following criteria:
- Films completed on or after Jan 1, 2021, are eligible for consideration
- They must have an ecological theme;
- They must not exceed 35 minutes in length
- If the film is not in English, a translation in English must be provided alongside the film
- Upon being accepted, filmmakers must be prepared to deliver a hi-res MP4 or MOV file via e-mail, cloud transfer, or FilmFreeway WITHIN 30 DAYS OF ACCEPTANCE NOTIFICATION.
- Films must not contain scenes of violence, incitement to war, or hate speech, and must not support discrimination of any kind.
- More than one film per submitter may be submitted. Each submission requires separate submission documents and a separate fee.
- All submission documents must be complete.
- A refund of the festival fee is not possible under any circumstances.

The following materials need to be attached to the application:
- a short film synopsis;
- at least 3 film screenshots with quality adapted to press
- photo of the director and the biography which includes the year of birth
- promotional materials (press packages, posters, etc.)
- by signing the application, the Festival is authorized to use and publish all the materials mentioned above in the Festival catalog, on the Internet, and in the printed press
- a trailer of the film, if you have one
- selection materials are not returned;
- the festival reserves the right to reject the film copies of low technical quality which can cause problems during screenings;
- by signing the application, the producer or the director accepts the rules of the festival and guarantees the validity of the above-mentioned information.

Films are selected for Festival presentation by the programming committee. If a film is selected, the Festival office will contact the entrant by phone or email. The Festival does not provide feedback or screening notes for entries that are not selected.