“To be Albertan” and “Sustainable Türkiye” Winners of the Terres Travel Festival 2024

Tortosa hosted the awards ceremony of the 8th edition of the tourism and travel film festival, in which 199 audiovisual pieces from 48 countries participated.

Over the course of a week, a dozen film sessions, debates and talks have been scheduled, with the presence of directors, producers and film and tourism professionals from around the world.

The film To Be Albertan (Canada, 2022) won the Grand Prix of the Terres Travel Festival in Tortosa. The film highlights the diversity of landscapes of the Canadian province of Alberta, from the Rocky Mountains to the vast plains, passing through the Canadian Badlands and the bright cities. The award was presented this evening at the Parador Castell de la Suda in Tortosa at the final gala of the eighth edition of the tourism and travel film competition which started last September 13 and will close tomorrow Saturday. The event, presented by the actress Ivana Miño, brought together more than one hundred and fifty professionals from the tourism audiovisual sector from all over the world.

Among the main winners, the documentary Sustainable Türkiye (Turkey, 2024) also stood out, awarded the Terres de l’Ebre Award for Best Film Promoting Sustainability. The audiovisual highlights Turkey’s commitment to responsible tourism with the protection of places recognized as World Heritage by Unesco or Blue Flag beaches. It also emphasizes Michelin Green Star restaurants and EuroVelo cycling routes.

From Catalonia to Norway

The award for the Best Catalan Production is a recognition of the vitality of our country’s audiovisual productions sector, especially in the field of travel. The winning film in this category was Més Amunt: la gran família (Catalonia, 2024) by director Jordi Sacristán. The film, produced by the Local Audiovisual Network, tells the story of the Castellers de Vilafranca, who in 2022 achieved a historic milestone by loading the pillar again with lining, shackles and struts, a castle that had never been built before. Through the + Up series, the cultural tradition of human towers in Catalonia, recognized as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, is explored in an attractive way. The award is sponsored by the Audiovisual Cluster of Catalonia, an organization that brings together more than 200 companies and institutions in the audiovisual sector.

The prize for the Best Production that Promotes Respect for Nature has gone to Lofoten (Spain, 2024) by director Éric Barberà Escribà. This is a documentary that explores not only the beauty of the Norwegian Lofoten Islands, but also the culture of Europe’s last indigenous tribe, the Sami. This award is sponsored by the UNESCO Audiovisual E Platform, which promotes the exchange of creative audiovisual content, especially related to development issues and intercultural dialogue.

The Climent Ferrer Award for the Best Production on the Values ​​of the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, sponsored by the Consortium of Environmental Policies of the Terres de l’Ebre (COPATE), went to Extraordinary Voyage Galapagos (Andorra, 2023) by director Olivier Bourgeois. This audiovisual shows us these islands in the middle of the Pacific, which are one of the last places on earth where the ecosystems have remained intact, untouched by humans. Only 3% of the archipelago’s surface is inhabited by man. This award wants to remember the figure of Climent Ferrer, who was a COPATE technician and a person very involved in the development of the Terres de l’Ebre.

It is also worth mentioning the special award for the Best Gastronomic Production: Catalonia Region of Gastronomy 2025, which has been awarded for the first time and which has gone to Origin (Spain, 2024) by director Jesús Sanjurjo. The film explores the journey of a young Menorcan cook who, after traveling the world in search of unique flavors, returns to her homeland. There he discovers that the true magic of the kitchen is found in the recipes of his childhood. This award has recognized one of the films in the Food Film Menu competition, organized by the IGCAT (International Institute of Gastronomy, Culture, Arts and Tourism). And this year, the award ceremony of this gastronomic contest was held as part of the Terres Festival and served as a forerunner to the World Gastronomy Region celebrations, a title that Catalonia will hold in 2025 .

During the gala, the German journalist and director Andreas Ewels, who received the Terres Pioneers award, was also recognized for his career dedicated to the production of documentaries about nature and the environment. Ewels has produced more than two hundred documentaries for channels such as ZDF and ARD. His works have led the viewer to discover unexplored places and to reflect on the importance of conservation