Finalists for the Asia Destination Film Awards announced

Thirty-four films of a total of almost 1,000 submissions were chosen as the finalists to the Asia Destination Film Awards 2020. 

Public voting is open until 29 January on www.destinationfilmforum.com

With close to 1,000 submissions and a total of 340 hours of playtime, the Asia Destination Film Awards received much attention from international filmmakers, tourism boards, travel companies, and content creators. Thirty-four finalists in the categories Tourism Boards, Travel Industry, Filmmakers, User-generated Content, and Sustainable Travel were shortlisted, and the final winners in each category are determined by a panel of judges as well as by public vote on www.destinationfilmforum.com/asia-destination-film-awards/. Voting will be open until 29 January 2020.

To highlight the role of visual content in destination marketing and sustainability, the 2nd Asia Destination Film Forum and Awards will take place in Bangkok on 30 January 2020 under the co-chairmanship of H.E. Mr. Itthipol Khunpluem, Minister of Culture, Thailand, and Dr. Sorajak Kasemsuwan, Secretary General of the National Federation of Motion Pictures and Contents Associations, Thailand.

An impressive line-up of speakers from Thai filmmakers such as Mr. Ekachai Uekrongtham (“The Stranded” – Netflix) and Mr. Tom Waller (“The Cave”) to producers of Hollywood movies such as Mr. Nicholas Simon (“Avengers: Endgame”, “Kong: Skull Island”), and Mr. Nick Ray from Cambodian film production company Hanuman Films ("The Last Reel") will present on the importance of locations for filming and the role of Asian destinations. 

Presenters from tourism boards, such as Mr. Raymond Kim (Busan, South Korea), Mr. Tanes Petsuwan (Deputy Governor for Marketing Communications, Tourism Authority of Thailand), Mr. Jens Thraenhart (Executive Director, Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office), Mr. Joe Choo (Area Director Thailand, Singapore Tourism Board), and Ms. Bayasgalan Saranjav (Director General Department of Tourism Policy Coordination, Ministry of Environment and Tourism, Mongolia) will look into the role of destinations in movie tourism. 

In addition to the public sector, the forum will also look into how screen tourism can benefit the private sector, by Mr. Deepak Ohri, CEO Lebua Hotels & Resorts (“The Hangover Part II”), as well as how bloggers can impact tourism through visual content.

The aspect of sustainability of film tourism is analyzed by a panel of experts, including Mr. Gabriel Kuperman (Executive Producer, Mekong 2030), Mr. Roi Ariel (General Manager, GSTC), Mr. Graham Harper (Director, PATA, Sustainability and Social Responsibility), Mr. Tuan Pham (Head of Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility Agoda), and Ms. Janet Salem (Programme Manager, Sustainable Consumption and Production, United National Environment Programme (UNEP).

The Asia Destination Film Awards will take place after the Asia Destination Film Forum and will be followed by the Film Festival BBQ Party, sponsored by the Ministry of Environment and Tourism Mongolia, featuring authentic Mongolian BBQ, cultural performances, and films.

More information about the event and tickets are available on http://www.destinationfilmforum.com/

Films shortlisted to the Asia Destination Film Awards 2020

Film Name	Producer	Destination Featured
Tourism Board Category
ท่องเที่ยววิถีไทย เก๋ไก๋ไม่เหมือนใคร (Discover Thainess) - version 2 นาที	Tourism Authority of Thailand	Thailand
Komodo National Park and Alor: The Miracles of Living	Ministry of Tourism of Republic of Indonesia	Indonesia
Malaysia “Amazing”	Tourism Malaysia	Malaysia
Enjoy my Japan | Broaden your world| JNTO	Japan National Tourism Organization(JNTO)	Japan
Be Part of the Fun #ItsMoreFunInThePhilippines	Department of Tourism Philippines	Philippines
Incredible India - Director's Cut - Travel | CNN	Ministry of Tourism, Government of India	India
Singapore – Where Passion is Made Possible	Singapore Tourism Board	Singapore
Filmmaker Category
Hit the Road: India	Manana Films, UK	India
Becoming Thai Chinese	Sarah Lam, Hong Kong	Thailand
The State of Skateboarding in Mongolia	Jefferson Elliott, USA	Mongolia
Rockumentary: Evolution of Indian Rock	Abhimanyu Kukreja, India	India
The Magic of Hong Kong	Timelab Pro, Russia	Hong Kong
The Kingdom of the Lion Tailed Macaque - A Wildlife Documentary by Poorna Kedar	Poorna Kedar, India	India
Raja Ampat: The Last Paradise	GLP Films, USA	Indonesia
Branches and Brushes	Komeil Soheili, Iran	Korea
Travel Industry Category
Singapore Airlines: New In-flight Safety Video	Singapore Airlines	Singapore
Shinta Mani Wild	Shinta Mani Wild	Cambodia
InterContinental Danang - Our Resort Concierge 'Thinks Beyond'	InterContinental Danang	Vietnam
Vietnam Airlines Safety Video	Vietnam Airlines	Vietnam
Singapore In 3 Minutes	TripZilla	Singapore
Cardamom Tented Camp	Cardamom Tented Camp	Cambodia
Rosewood Luang Prabang	Rosewood Luang Prabang	Laos
User-generated Content Category
Watchtower of Turkey	Leonardo Dalessandri, Italy	Turkey
Phatthalung: Thailand’s Hidden Gems	Art Thomya, Thailand	Thailand
In Japan	Vincent Urban, USA	Japan
Loving Lanka	Sebastian Linda, Germany	Sri Lanka
Thailand	Georgy Tarasov, Russia	Thailand
The road story Vietnam	Georgy Tarasov, Russia	Vietnam
Tokyo Roar	Brandon Li	Japan
Sustainable Travel Category
The Giant	Palau Visitors Authority	Palau
Save Our Spots	Department of Tourism Philippines	Philippines
The Tourism Decade – Women Rafters	Department of Tourism Philippines	Philippines
Sustainable Tourism	Ministry of Tourism of Republic of Indonesia	Indonesia
A Day In A Buddhist Temple	Travel and Tourism Foundation and Travelindex	Laos