‘Film in Georgia’ trailer earns most votes at Audience Awards

A two-minute video showing Georgia’s diverse and iconic areas as potential filming locations has been watched thousands of times after being uploaded online to compete in the Association of Film Commissioners International (AFCI) 2016 Creativity Awards.

The awards are formerly known as the Marketing Awards and are returning this year after a three year hiatus.

The Creativity Awards allows the more than 300 film commissions that are AFCI members the opportunity to competitively showcase the marketing campaigns they’ve launched within the past 18 months. These campaigns in part are the tools film commissions use to attract film productions to their respective territories and unique locations around the globe.

The Georgian Film Commission submitted a two minute 41 second clip titled ‘Film in Georgia’, which has been watched more than 2860 times and received over 350 votes by film fans all over the world. This year the AFCI partnered with the Montana (US) based The Audience Award to host the global competition.

The video showcased Georgia as the best Eastern European filming destination.

The clip explores some of the country’s most incredible landscapes, from ferocious waterfalls, ancient churches nestled on top of snow-peaked mountains, along serene rivers, sprawling green fields and up mountain passes that few dare to travel on. It also takes views into the sky in a plane, handgliding and via drone footage.

The clip shows the vast possibilities Georgia offers as a filming location and encourages international filmmakers to utilise all the opportunities Georgia offers.

Georgia is competing for the Best Video Reel award against 17 other entries from nations and states in the United States that are also promoting their land as top filming destinations. So far Georgia has received the most votes from viewers.

Georgia's Kazbegi region is heavily promoted as a favourable film location in Georgia. Photo by N.Alavidze/Agenda.ge.

Other entries in the competition come from: Poland, Vienna (Austria), Western Norway, Scotland, Australia, Chile, as well as US states Florida, Houston, West Virginia, Oklahoma, Utah and more.

People have until August 19 to visit the Audience Awards webpage and vote for their favourite clip and filming location. Winners will be announced during the AFCI Cineposium film conference in Atlanta, Georgia, September 22-24.  

Watch and vote for 'Film in Georgia' video here.

Meanwhile at a recent film exhibition in Los Angeles, US, Georgia was named as one of the most attractive filming locations worldwide.

The ‘Film in Georgia’ scheme was created six months ago through a Government initiative to stimulate the local film sector by offering favourable conditions for local and international film makers, such as a 20-25 percent cash rebate program of expenses incurred in Georgia.

‘Film in Georgia’ aimed to develop the local cinema industry, bring new technologies into the market, improve the qualifications of local cinema industry players, increase Georgia’s cinema market and make the country a more popular and desired film location in Eastern Europe.

Already several international filmmakers, including a team from India, have come to Georgia, utilised the benefits of the ‘Film in Georgia’ scheme and shot their films here.

During the past six months five projects have been approved within the ‘Film in Georgia’ initiative. From this 1,000 jobs will be created and more than eight million GEL (about $3.42 million/€ 3.06 million*) will be injected into Georgian economy.

Watch the 'Film in Georgia' video that is competing at the 2016 Creativity Awards. 

*Currencies are equivalent with the National Bank of Georgia exchange rate.