Promotional film of the Historic Villages of Portugal voted the best in the world | Tourism
Body and soul, the new promotional film of the Historical Villages of Portugal, was the most voted by the public, winning the award for Best Tourism Film in the World – Public Choice 2021, a competition organized annually by the International Committee of Tourism Film Festivals (CIFFT) , the largest of its kind in the world.
The film, produced by Lobby Filmes e Publicidade, and directed by Telmo Martins, was the most voted production – with 8133 votes in 30 countries. There were 40 videos in competition from 16 different countries, including another seven Portuguese.
“With a striking narrative and characters that made History, such as the kings D. Dinis, D. João, and Pedro Álvares Cabral, who discovered Brazil and was born and born in Belmonte, one of the 12 Historical Villages of Portugal, the film Body and soul takes the spectator on an intense journey through the Historical Villages of Portugal, exploring sight, hearing and heart ”, classes the organization at official page.
In a statement, Dalila Dias, executive coordinator of the Historical Villages of Portugal, considers that “the achievements in the life of the Historical Villages of Portugal are the perfect and imperfect past tense” and “the most evident proof that the achievements continue is the ‘Best Film’ award World Tourism – People’s Choice ‘”. “It’s a way of doing justice to our ancestors for the legacy, of thanking the communities that inhabit the Historical Villages and of raising awareness as younger generations to make this identity last”, he adds.
The technical responsible that through the seventh art it is possible to “immortalize the stories and stories of 12 Historical Villages of Portugal – a destination that number 12” and believes that this distinction “will greatly contribute to the strengthening of cultural and creative industries in the territory”.
Director Telmo Martins, from Lobby Films and Advertising, commented that “winning a competition of this very high level, with worldwide recognition and compared to the Oscars of Tourism Films” makes him “deeply happy and with the journey of accomplishment”.
“This award also attests to the quality of the film produced, among so many of great quality. Inevitably, we cannot forget that the objective of the production of this film is to promote the incredible product Aldeias Históricas de Portugal, its identity, history, beauty and atmosphere. There are really 12 unique villages in the world, which go further and allow a giant promotion with this valuable prize”, he concludes.
Created in 1989, the International Committee of Tourism Film Festivals (CIFFT) brings together “the best tourism film festivals from four continents” in what is regarded as the “most prestigious” initiative in the travel video marketing industry. Through dissemination, recognition and awards, it seeks to “encourage tourist destinations to achieve excellence in promoting their products, services and places through video”.
The fourth edition of the Best Tourism Film in the World Award – Public Choice was, once again, made through online voting, worldwide, held from 1st to 25th October, and appears as a preamble to the Grand Prix, where the winners of the “14 best tourism film festivals in the world” compete. The three most scored films in each of the themes in the different competitions throughout the year are awarded in this grand final prize according to the evaluation obtained. Last year, VidaMar Resort Hotel Algarve was one of the winners, in the Tourism and Services category.
The film Body and soul is an initiative supported by Centro 2020, Portugal 2020 and the European Fund for Regional Development, through the Program for the Economic Valorization of Endogenous Resources (PROVERE), and portrays the 12 localities included in the Historic Villages network: Almeida, Belmonte, Castelo Mendo, Castelo Novo , Castelo Rodrigo, Idanha-a-Velha, Linhares da Beira, Marialva, Monsanto, Piódão, Sortelha and Trancoso.