With complete success completed Monday night 18/11/2024 his work 15th Film Festival Amorgou and 21st UNDERSTAND. The 15ο Amorgos Film Festival With visitors from all over the world, directors, producers, filmmakers and artists were hosted at AMORGOS AEGIALIS HOTEL & SPA Aegialis, where it has been organized for 15 years by the hotel owner Irene Giannakopoulou, President of the Festival, who together with her family have managed to gather every November in Amorgos personalities from the international cinema.
Member of the International Organization CIFT (International Committee of Tourism Film Festivals) the Amorgos Tourism Film Festival, which involved 119 films from 45 countries, confirmed Amorgos’ position as a tourist destination that supports culture, artistic values and cultural transactions. The Festival’s opening ceremony was announced by the mayor of Amorgos Lefteris Karaiskos.
It was quite difficult to work by the International Jury (Greece represented in Greece Argyrothe Tsuno and the Niobi ) For the choice of the best films, which were awarded in the categories “Documentary”, “Independent travel video”, “Tourist product”, “Tourism Services”, “City promotion”, “Promotion of the area”, “Promotion of Country” and “Special Awards”.
The screenings of the films were made every afternoon, and later in the evening, speeches were presented with cinema and his role in promoting not only tourism, but mainly on his sustainable development, as well as other speeches on issues related to the exchange of ideas for tourism. Speeches were included in the conference 21st Congress.
Among the participants of this year’s event stood out by the presence of Los Angeles Greek Film artistic director Festival Mars Katopodiswho represented the renowned California festival and who, during the 21st Congress of the Superior, presented his lecture entitled ‘Culture bridges through cinema: reflections from my trip to Los Angeles. “
“The Amorgos Film Festival is quite impressive and precious, because it offers a lot to Amorgos, tourism. Amorgos is an area that may not be Mykonos and Santorini, but it has its own beauties, its own grace, its own valuable contribution to Greek culture and tourism. ” debbiestravel.gr The artistic director of Los Angeles Greek Film Festival Mars Katopodis.
During the same conference the George Pittas In his speech entitled “Local Gastronomy as a way to discover the authenticity of a destination“He had the opportunity to present the common and distinctive elements that characterize the gastronomy of the Cyclades islands and then focus on the characteristics of Amorgian gastronomy.
At the 21st Congress of Avia that was made as we said alongside the 15th Amorgos Film Festival, we also distinguished, among other things, the following suggestions:
“The importance of Tourisme Film Festivals” from Georgiani Irina Khangoshvili President of Art & Travel International Film Festival Georgia.
“A Tastefful Journey Through Olive Oil” from the mill Oleve-victory, presented by Maria Carabellaand shortly thereafter, a tasting test of extremely virgin olive oils from Lesvos followed.
The Festival’s mornings were dedicated to guided tours to the most characteristic attractions on the island. With a very well -chosen and scheduled program, the Greeks and mainly foreign visitors and participants in the festival had the opportunity by traveling by coach or beautiful hikes to get to know the island and gain the most impressive experiences.
The guided tours were made by the Irene Giannakopoulouwhich thanks to the deep knowledge and unlimited love that feeds on the island, conveyed to visitors all the information, and especially the spirit and essence of Amorgian life, in such a way that there is not one of those who did not stay fascinated by its beauty and its particularity.
Even the weather of Amorgos showed all its versions (excellent sunshine, clouds, shocking full moon, buns, booty) in order to satisfy the festivals, and even in the four -day festival, the first festival fell.
The visit to Cloudy And even in a traditional home (the father of Peace Giannakopoulou) was the reason for visitors to understand the organization of home life and the culture of the daily life of the Amorgians.
The climb of 60 people to Chozoviotissa monasterythe visit to the interior, and of course the enjoyment of the shocking view from the Archontaral terrace, was one of the most impressive moments of the tours.
The first gastronomic station outside the Aegialis Hotel was the visit to “In Pyrgos” café-tapestry In the lower side of the island, in Plesini, where the participants of the Amorgos Film Festival tested the fine appetizers offered by the Rousseau!
An amazing tasting with Amorgos’ characteristic flavors, such as crab omelette, cheese pies, homemade sardines, yogurts, favorites and more prepared by Vangelitsa Roussou, Which had just been awarded by the Gastronomist, – as a representative of Amorgos, just a month ago – among the five most important traditional Cyclades cooks!
After our visit “In the Tower” our culinary tour continued at Marouso Also in Pesinin. OR Angelic and the Thodoris with their children Marouso and Constantine, They offered a special gastronomic experience to the participants of the Amorgos Film Festival with a wide variety of dishes!
Another lunch of participants at the Amorgos Film Festival took place in Aegiali and in Kostaras Restaurant, where his cook Silver With her “Amorgian Lemonato Katsikaki” she gave us great gastronomic pleasures.
The presentation of the awards ceremony was made by the Eleni Kountouroupipresident of the Amorgos Women’s Cultural Association, while the awards were given to the winners by the president of the festival Irene GiannakopoulouChairman of the International Tourism Film Festival Committee (CIFFT) Alexander Chambersl, Deputy Mayor of Education Amorgos Nikos Simidalas, The General Manager of Amorgos Aegialis Hotel & Spa Stamatis Giannakopoulos and the manager of the Amorgos Film Festival Christian Mark.
The closing ceremony took place on Monday 18-4/2024 with the announcements of the winners, most of which had traveled to Amorgos and attending the event to receive their awards-which were statues, copies of protocycic figurines-and others.
The big winner of the 15th Amorgos Film Festival who won the Grand Prix award was Switzerland with the film “The perfect shot”. Switzerland won an additional three awards received by the Swiss ambassador to Greece Stefan Estermann, who honored with his presence the end of the 15th Amorgos Film Festival. In fact, in order to prevent the awards he traveled from Naxos with the famous Squeeteand as he commented, he was one of his most beautiful trips. In detail the films that were awarded were:
Many of the winners were present in Amorgos and received their awards, including Pierre Renaud From Canada, Jake Villadolid and David Pulcifier by the US, Sonia Ruperez from Spain, Manuela Morgaine και Olivier Bourgeois from France, Justyna Butryn and Wioletta Deptuch by Poland, and Domingos Pires and Flavio Cruz from Portugal.
But in this, all the awardees agreed was that:
“Our joy from our experiences from the island, but also from the hospitality we had from the organization of the festival, measured much more than the festival of the festival and our awards ”.
Leaving Aegiali, the northern port of Amorgos, all his participants and award -winning 15th Amorgos Festival, We had the same sense of admiration for the president of the festival Irene Giannakopoulou, Her family and her team, who managed to consolidate this festival, attracting exquisite guests from all over the world, who come here to compete, network, exchange knowledge, create new projects for the future, but mainly to get to know Amorgos.