Cape Town has brought home a number of top awards from the international film awards, proving that the talent in the Mother City never disappoints!
The International Tourism Film Festival Africa was held at the Labia Theatre in Gardens, Cape Town. The ceremony was held to honour and celebrate some of the top tourism films in Africa and the International category.
“We are extremely delighted to have walked away with five awards this year,” says Enver Duminy, CEO of Cape Town Tourism. “Our team worked exceptionally hard on these films to ensure that future visitors are inspired to visit Cape Town once again. So, to receive this recognition from such a prestigious film festival is an absolute honour.”
Cape Town Tourism’s “That homegrown feeling” and “We are worth waiting for!” each claimed a gold and a silver award, while the ever-handy “Pocket-friendly Cape Town Challenge” scooped silver in the destination categories.
All entries were evaluated by the international jury of professionals in the audiovisual production, marketing and tourism sectors.
Table Bay Hotel at the V&A Waterfront achieved a gold and silver award for their COVID-19 Safety Protocols film in the accommodation categories.
“We have missed many of our regular guests at Cape Town’s best address during the pandemic, and once lockdown eased and allowed us to re-open, we put many measures in place to welcome them back in safety,” said The Table Bay General Manager Joanne Selby.
“The video explains the hotel’s Covid-19 protocols which protect guests and provide them with peace of mind during their stay,” she added.
There were 865 entries from 97 countries, a quarter of which were from Africa. “The competition was fierce,” notes Caroline Ungersbock, co-founder and director of the ITFFA.
“As COVID caused numerous logistical challenges it made sense to combine the Afro-centric version of our event with the International one this year”, she said.
With South Africa being a popular destination for filming, winning awards as a City will attract more tourists to visit our beautiful city.
Alderman James Vos, MMC for economic opportunities and asset management, including tourism at the City of Cape Town said, “Destinations that have become popular as a film location have seen an increase in film tourism over the last few years. In Cape Town, we have certainly seen this as the city has become increasingly popular with international production companies. Scooping such awards at these prestigious film festivals means that the Mother City continues to be on the map with international film crews, which will help us to provide future tourism development opportunities within various communities around the city.
“I am proud of the efforts that Cape Town Tourism and The Table Bay Hotel have taken to produce such incredible films to showcase our fantastic city and build visitor confidence. We work hard to increase the visibility of Cape Town on a local and global stage and ensure we remain an attractive destination to all potential visitors,” he added.
“We are grateful for this recognition by the ITFFA and we will continue to produce films that not only win awards across the world but win hearts, too,” Duminy concludes.
Picture: Supplied