BANGKOK 3 February 2020: The 2nd Asia Destination Film Forum held yesterday in Bangkok proved that interest in the art form had a wide audience throughout Asia.
The Forum took place at Quaint in Bangkok’s trendy neighbourhood district of that transverses Thonglor and Ekkamai. Quaint turned out to be an inspired venue choice, an eclectic mix of house, warehouse and outdoor courtyard with a 19th-century barn-like movie set. Definitely, a spot that event organisers should consider.
Chaired by the Minister of Culture of Thailand, IttipolKhunpluem and the Thai Film Federation Secretary-General, SorajakKasemsuwan, and organised by Chameleon Strategies, the film forum featured producers of award-winning films such as The Cave (Thailand), The Steed (Mongolia), and The Last Reel (Cambodia).
The Destination Film Festival incorporating the 2nd Mekong Mini Movie Festival featured short films promoting Asian destinations throughout the day-long Forum. Also, exclusive film screenings during lunch, with the award-winning producers, was hosted by the Tourism Authority of Thailand.
The evenings pop-corn filled announcements of winners of the 2019 Mekong Mini Movie Festival, covered five categories (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam) was fun and light-hearted especially after a few shots of Mongolian vodka served during ‘cocktails’ beforehand.
Two travel personalities, Jan Wisansing and Jens Thraenhart, made the perfect team to host the evening with their easy banter and talk-show-host style.
Earlier in the day winners of the 2020 Asia Destination Film Awards were named out of 34 finalists reviewed by judges and made available for public online voting on the Asia Destination Film Forum website.
The board of judges voted for their winner, while close to 7,000 votes were cast by the public for the Public Choice Awards.
Asia Destination Film Forum award winners:
Tourism board category
Voted by the Judging Board
- “AMAZING” – Tourism Malaysia (Winner)
- Incredible India – Director’s Cut – Travel | CNN – Ministry of Tourism, Government of India (Runner-up)
FINALISTS
- “AMAZING” – Tourism Malaysia
- Be Part of the Fun #ItsMoreFunInThePhilippines – Department of Tourism Philippines
- Discover Thainess – Tourism Authority of Thailand
- Enjoy my Japan | Broaden your world – Japan National Tourism Organization
- Incredible India – Director’s Cut – Travel | CNN – Ministry of Tourism, Government of India
- Komodo National Park and Alor: The Miracle of Living – Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Indonesia
- Where Passion is Made Possible – Singapore Tourism Board
PUBLIC CHOICE
- Where Passion is Made Possible – Singapore Tourism Board (Winner)
- Komodo National Park and Alor: The Miracle of Living – Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Indonesia (Runner-up)
Travel industry category
Voted by the Judging Board
- SHINTA MANI WILD, Cambodia (Winner)
- Rosewood Luang Prabang, Laos (Runner-up)
FINALISTS
- Cardamom Tented Camp, Cambodia
- InterContinental Danang – Our Resort Concierge ‘Thinks Beyond’, Vietnam
- New In-flight Safety Video | Singapore Airlines
- Rosewood Luang Prabang, Laos
- SHINTA MANI WILD, Cambodia
- TripZilla, Singapore in 3 Minutes
- Vietnam Airlines Safety
PUBLIC CHOICE
- Vietnam Airlines Safety (Winner)
- Cardamom Tented Camp, Cambodia (Runner-up)
(Source: Andrew Wood)
