Latest news with #ITFFA
Irish Independent
13-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Cork anglers to represent Ireland in world-renowned fishing competition next year
Anne McWilliams, aged 60, and Declan O'Sullivan, aged 38, finished third and 13th respectively in the National Lake Championships, which was held on Lough Melvin, Co Fermanagh on Saturday, June 7. 'I would have qualified through the Munster Lake Championships, which was held in Killarney in May. 'Last weekend, I finished 13th with one fish out of 14 places, so I was lucky enough,' Declan O'Sullivan said. 126 competitors took part on the day, and Mr O'Sullivan described conditions as 'good', but the fishing was 'bad'. 'A lot of lakes these days are just not fishing very well for some reason. 'I don't know if it's the flies or what, but the fish don't seem to be looking up, they seem to be staying down the bottom,' he said. Ms McWilliams also qualified for the event hosted in Lough Melvin through the Munster Championships, which is deemed the hardest provincial competition due to the vast number of competitors. She echoed Mr O'Sullivan's thoughts on the challenging fishing performance. 'The conditions were lovely, and you would have expected the fish to rise, but there wasn't many. 'I saw a message from an angler to another angler, who said the conditions were 'brutally hard',' she said. ADVERTISEMENT Mr O'Sullivan will now go on to represent Ireland for the third time in his fishing career while Ms McWilliams will represent her country for the 13th time and captained her nation on three occasions. Both Mr O'Sullivan and Ms McWilliams will compete in the Irish Trout Fly Fishing Association (ITFFA) Home Nations competition against the national teams of England, Scotland and Wales. There were three people in each boat, two competitors and a driver who would line up the boat and place it in a good location to catch the fish. 'I was fishing with a man from Ballinrobe who would have fished the lake once about 20 years ago and I never fished that lake before. 'You are trusting the boatman to put us over fish from knowing the lake,' he added. The smallest you could kill was 28cm, and Declan's came in at 35cm, and placed him 13th in the leaderboards. Anything caught below 28cm in size was deemed too small and must be thrown back into the lake. Each boat would have a measuring device to measure the catches. 'We would have started at 11am and finished at 6pm. 'I literally caught three fish all day, and there would have been people out there who would have caught 10 or 15 fish, but they were too small. 'With these competitions, you really need a bit of luck,' he added. Ms McWilliams said representing your country is 'something that doesn't happen every day.' 'It's something that doesn't happen every day and it's not east to get onto it (national team). 'I have been trying for a long time to get onto the ITFFA team and it's very similar to the ladies set up,' she said. She hopes Lough Lein in Killarney will be a chosen venue as it has a 'special place' in her heart. 'It was the first time the Irish ladies won a gold medal, I think it was after 18 years, in Lough Lein, so it has a special place in my heart. 'It would be great to do the double there,' she added. Both Ms McWilliams and Mr O'Sullivan will represent both Kanturk and Munster at the Inter-provincial Lake Championships at Lough Lein on August 30.
IOL News
10-06-2025
- IOL News
Cape Town Tourism bags three awards at International Tourism Film Festival Africa
A view of Cape Town and Table Mountain. Cape Town Tourism has won three awards through showcasing the city's stunning tourism landscapes and appeal. Cape Town Tourism has clinched three Silver Awards at the International Tourism Film Festival Africa 2025 (ITFFA), held in Johannesburg from June 3 to 6. The festival celebrates excellence in tourism narratives conveyed through film and video content, highlighting the importance of dynamic storytelling in the travel sector. 'These awards aren't about shiny trophies on display; they reflect how we see Cape Town – layered, lively and full of love," says Enver Duminy, CEO of Cape Town Tourism. 'Each video serves as a postcard to the world, inviting everyone to experience the magic for themselves.'
The Citizen
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Citizen
WATCH: SA short film ‘Caleb: Beyond the Bite' wins Gold at film festival
South African short film 'Caleb: Beyond the Bite' wins Gold at International Tourism Film Festival Africa, just in time for World Ocean Day. Caleb: Beyond the Bite won Gold at the 2025 International Tourism Film Festival Africa (ITFFA), one year after its release by WILDTRUST. As the world celebrated World Ocean Day on Sunday, 8 June, a proudly South African conservation film was honoured on the global stage. This marks the fourth film festival at which the film has been recognised to date. The film festival had more than 450 global entries, ending with a red carpet event on Friday at Hotel Sky, Sandton, Johannesburg. Caleb: Beyond the Bite inspires shark bite survivors 'This film was truly inspirational,' says ITFFA organiser Caroline Ungersbock. Caleb in the water. Picture: Mnqobi Zuma 'It delivered a very strong and necessary message that resonated deeply with our judges and attendees of the film festival.' The short film follows para-athlete Caleb Swanepoel's emotional return to swimming with sharks, which changed his life in 2015. This film challenges the fear of sharks, showing their vital role in South Africa's marine ecosystems through a human story. 'I'm incredibly excited that the film has been recognised at the ITFFA Awards,' says Swanepoel. 'It means a lot that more people worldwide will see the film and hopefully connect with its message.' 'Being part of this project and team changing the shark narrative is a real privilege.' Caleb Swanepoel at the ITFFA Awards. Picture: Supplied The importance of shark and ray conservation Caleb: Beyond the Bite was released as part of the WILDTRUST's Sharks Under Attack campaign. The campaign aims to raise awareness about the urgent need for the conservation of sharks and rays in South African waters. The film highlights the emotional power of personal transformation and how perception plays a critical role in shark survival. South Africa is a global hotspot for shark and ray diversity, with approximately 200 species inhabiting its waters. Many species are endemic and increasingly threatened by habitat loss, overfishing, and public fear. The film provides a compelling call to protect these misunderstood animals through empathy, education, and policy change. 'Caleb gives me hope for shark conservation,' says WILDTRUST scientist Leigh de Necker, who swam with Caleb in the film. 'If he can change his view on sharks after trauma, there is hope for all of us to do the same.' Caleb: Beyond the Bite is available to watch online.
Zawya
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Zawya
ITFFA spotlights how film tourism drives economic growth and destination appeal
As the film and tourism industries converge for the 7th annual International Tourism Film Festival Africa (ITFFA) in Sandton this week, the spotlight turns to the powerful role of film in driving destination tourism. Taking place from 3–6 June at Hotel Sky, the festival will explore how high-profile productions — many shot in South Africa, a global filming hotspot — contribute to job creation, infrastructure development and increased tourism arrivals. Co-founder of the festival together with Caroline Ungersbock, festival director James Byrne describes this unique event as ä pioneering platform celebrating tourism-focused films and video content. Honouring global tourism content "The ITFFA honours all video content related to the travel and tourism industries, including TV ads, promotional films, video content, campaigns, blogs and vlogs, documentaries, reports and magazine programmes. All film and video products that are related to the promotion of tourism destinations, products, or services are eligible to be entered into the film festival awards, and will be screened during the conference itself, the only one of its kind on the continent," comments Byrne. With a wealth of experience, passion, and innovation in the entertainment and hospitality sectors, he brings a unique perspective to his role at ITFFA. His deep understanding of the industry and his commitment to fostering creativity and collaboration have been instrumental in establishing ITFFA as the premier tourism film festival in Africa. Since co-founding ITFFA with Ungersbock in 2019, Byrne has been the driving force behind the festival's growth and success. Under his guidance, ITFFA has received more than 4,000 film entries from 94 countries, showcasing the best in tourism-related video content across various platforms. Empowering young African creatives "Our vision for the festival extends beyond simply recognising exceptional content; we are also dedicated to empowering young African creatives by providing them with access to tangible work opportunities and the ability to earn real-time income from their work." This is translated into the annual Young Creatives Student Challenge that runs alongside ITFFA, offering young film students mentorship, guidance and editing skills to create professional tourism content for clients, using their smartphones, which can be monetised. This year's challenge has seen five teams of two students each from Wits and UJ visiting the Joburg inner city in partnership with Nikon, Panavision, Jozi My Jozi and The Bannister Hotel, to film content around Maboneng, Newtown, Ponte, and Braamfontein. The winning team, announced during the festival, will receive a cash prize of R10,000 to go towards building their content creation careers. Driving Africa's creative and tourism economy A passion for connecting people, creating engaging experiences, and promoting Africa's rich cultural heritage lies at the heart of ITFFA's mission. The founding partners also have a firm belief in the power of film and tourism to drive economic growth, create jobs, and change the global narrative surrounding Africa. ITFFA is positioned as a catalyst for the development and growth of the African audio-visual industry, while also integrating the global creative community. Looking ahead, the vision for ITFFA in 2025 and into the future is to continue defining the inextricable linkages between film and tourism, making the potential low-lying yields accessible to all, while empowering young African creatives to establish sustainable careers in the industry. 'With our unwavering commitment to innovation, collaboration, and the celebration of exceptional content, the team is poised to lead ITFFA to new heights and shape the future of the tourism and travel industry. We invite everyone in the industry to join us for the ride!" concludes Byrne. All rights reserved. © 2022. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
