CIFFT
CIFFT (Comité International des Festivals du Film Touristique) stands for International Committee of Tourism Film Festivals. It is a consortium of currently 16 film festivals and was founded in 1989 by Filmservice International, including the most important tourism film festivals at that time:
- Prix ITB. (Berlin, Germany)
- International Tourfilm Festival Montecatini Terme (Italy)
- Festival der Festivals (Vienna, Austria)
- Deutschsprachige Wirtschaftsfilmtage (Germany, Austria, Switzerland)
- International Film and TV festival of travel and tourist films (Porec, Yugoslavia)
- Tourfilm Karlovy Vary (Czech Republic)
- Tarbes FITCOM – Festival International de la Communication Touristique (Tarbes, France)
- Trouville FIFCT – Festival International du Film et du Clip Touristique (Trouville, France)
The aim was to create a common platform for exchanging ideas and coordinating festival dates. The main office of the general secretary to CIFFT is in Vienna, Austria. Alexander V. Kammel holds office as Director of CIFFT. He took over the position from former Director, Rudolf Kammel. Since 2010 Lee W. Gluckman, Jr. (Director of the Mobius Awards and Chairman to the US International Film & Video Festival) has been the President of CIFFT. Former Presidents were from 1989 to 2003 Antonio Conte, President and Founder of the International Tourfilm Festival Montecatini Terme, and from 2003 to 2010 Dr. Josef Schütz, Director of Tourfilm Karlovy Vary.
CIFFT is a unique platform with the principal objective to on one hand encourage global tourism via outstanding audiovisuals and on the other hand exchange experience and expertise in the field of tourism. Furthermore it is AbOUT strengthening the consciousness of audio-visual artwork concerning tourism, in the international media and among tourism organizations. To achieve this, CIFFT is endorsed by UNWTO (World Tourism Organization), ETC (European Travel Commission), PATA (Pacific Asia Travel Association), CATA (Central America Tourism Organization) and CTO (Caribbean Tourism Organization).
The Grand Prix CIFFT
The CIFFT Circuit consists of currently (2013) 16 film festivals, taking place all over the world. Each of these film festivals has its own international jury and awards the films which are entered to the competition independently. After a festival year the world’s best tourism films are honoredon the occasion of the Grand Prix CIFFT. The Grand Prix CIFFT winner is determined according to a point system based on the achievements throughout the festival year: The film receiving most points (e.g. by winning in festivals) is awarded with the Grand Prix CIFFT for the world´s best tourism film. The runners-up receive honorable Nominee for the Grand Prix CIFFT –awards (Before 2012 those awards were called “Mentions”). The award ceremony of the Grand Prix CIFFT takes place every November, in Vienna, Austria. Each year, about 1400 films compete in the CIFFT Circuit. As it is possible for festivals to join the CIFFT Circuit, the number of festivals creating the circuit, vary from year to year.
16 Festival Members of CIFFT
- ART&Tur – Festival Internacional de Filmes de Turismo (Barcelos, Portugal)
- Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards (Cannes, France)
- Das Goldene Stadttor (The Golden City Gate) (ITB Berlin, Germany)
- Film, Art & Tourism Festival “FilmAT” (Warsaw, Poland)
- Internationale Wirtschaftsfilmtage Deutschland – Österreich – Schweiz – Luxemburg – Liechtenstein – Südtirol (Vienna, Austria)
- Tourism and Cultural Film Festival “Kitovras” (Veliky Novgorod, Russian Federation)
- New York Festivals (New York, USA)
- Silafest – The International Festival of Tourist and Ecology Film (Veliko Gradiste, Serbia)
- Toura d’Or (Berlin, Germany)
- Tourfilm Brazil (Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil)
- Tourfilm Karlovy Vary (Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic)
- Tourfilm Riga (Riga, Latvia)
- US International Film & Video Festival (Los Angeles, California, USA)
- Zagreb Tourfilm Festival (Zagreb, Croatia)
- Deauville Green Awards – International Festival of corporate films on sustainable development and ecology (France)
- ARF DocumentArt (Bucarest, Romania)
Grand Prix CIFFT –winners from 1989 – 2012
- 1989 Hong Kong behind the mask (Hong Kong/ GB)
- 1990 Vienna Winterlove (Austria)
- 1991 Austria – A whole world in the heart of Europe (Austria)
- 1992 Fields of jade (Thailand)
- 1993 Valtellina – un mondo tra le alpi (Italy)
- 1994 Sinfonie Berlin (Germany)
- 1995 Wien in 1001 Bildern (Austria)
- 1996 Cambodia – Journey of a lifetime (Cambodia)
- 1997 Una Meravigliosa Favola Scritta Con L’Acqua (Italy)
- 1998 Live Frames Austria (Austria)
- 1999 Time4Vienna (Austria)
- 2000 Computer Game (Hong Kong/China)
- 2001 Phyrn Eisenwurzen – das sagenhafte Land (Austria)
- 2002 Pousadas de Portugal (Portugal)
- 2003 Discover the joy of Austria (Austria) & Days like these (Austria)
- 2004 Tanzania, Authentic Africa (Tanzania)
- 2005 Title: Mozart 2006, 250th anniversary – Austria celebrates the genius (Austria)
- 2006 City Dance (Austria)
- 2007 Copenhagen Kicking (Denmark)& The Vienna Collection (Austria)
- 2008 Łódź – City of Culture (Poland)
- 2009 Turismo de Segovia: de todo para todos (Spain) & Incredible India International Television Commercial (India)
- 2010 Styria – The Green Heart of Austria (Austria)
- 2011 Mexico en tus Sentidos (Mexico)
- 2012 Gstaad – Come up, slow down (Switzerland)