In my career as a wedding videographer I have been really blessed to see my work receive quite a few awards and accolades, not only by wedding related contests but also by international film festivals. However, it is a lifetime experience to be nominated as a Top Award-Winning Wedding Videographer. To have the chance of being featured among the best colleagues worldwide in one of the most prestigious professional associations. This year I have travelled to Brazil, for the second year in a row, to assist to this amazing international celebration of wedding photography and videography, the Golden Lens Awards by Inspiration Photographers, and here are a few highlights of these unforgettable days.
Nominated to be an Awarded Wedding Videographer
In 2019 I have had the chance to be nominated in all of the 5 available categories for filmmakers at the annual Golden Lens Awards Ceremony by Inspiration Photographers. A great honor! The nomination categories were:
– Family Film of the year
– Pre wedding film of the year
– Wedding Film of the year
– Most Awarded filmmaker of the year
– International filmmaker of the year
Inspiration Photographers is one of the most important Professional Associations worldwide for wedding photographers and wedding videographers, counting more than 2.000 members from all over the world. The annual Golden Lens awards are considered to be the Oscars for wedding photographers and videographers. The award winners of the Golden Lenses are being announced in an annual Gala ceremony in Brazil held by Inspiration Photographers.
Among all the existing Accolades for wedding filmmakers by the different Professional Associations worldwide, a Golden Lens Award is probably the most important distinction. In fact, a Golden Lens does not arise from one single picture or one single wedding video being awarded as is usually the case in such contests. It is, by contrast, the result from judging the overall work that each of the participants presents throughout the year: A combination of the total number of awards that each participant has accumulated throughout the 5 competing sessions by an independent judging panel, and of the votes received by all the colleagues from around the world, that are members of Inspiration Photographers.
In the 4 years that I am a Member of the Inspiration Photographers Association, this was the 3rd time that my work was nominated for a Golden Lens award. I couldn’t be happier for this recognition. The nomination to be an Awarded Wedding Videographer is already a huge achievement in the carreer of a professional content creator.
The Pre-Party “Esquenta”
It is amazing how the small town of Balneario Camboriu, on the state of Santa Catarina in the Brazilian coast, lives and breathes for the Golden Lens ceremony every year in November. Wedding and Family Photographers and Videographers travel there from all over Brazil and other countries from all over the world to gather, meet each other, party, and of course to celebrate the winners of the annual awards.
In 2018 I had already travelled to Brazil, where I met some of the most amazing people and of the best colleagues content creators from all over the world. I am really happy to be able to call these people my true friends ever since.
Brazilians are very warm people with great hospitality, so every day there is a party! The day before the awards there is a gathering and warm-up party (Esquenta) by the ocean. A great opportunity to see again some good friends, to meet new people, and to party till late night under the rhythm of brazilian music. It is a real experience, as these people are party animals. Parties take place every night before the awards in Camboriu, and this is what I call in Portuguese “Esquenta do Esquenta do Esquenta…” (warm up of the warm up of the warm up)…
The Golden Lens Awards Ceremony
November 12, 2019. Although rather hot, the weather in Camboriu was very rainy. All the colleagues spent the day chilling out and preparing for the big night of the Awards in Maria’s Convention in Itajaí.
Around 9 pm people started arriving to the venue. It was the opportunity to chat, watch some printed albums with all the awarded pictures of the year and to shoot the inevitable selfies and red carpet pictures with the colleagues from different places of the world. For one day all the wedding photographers and wedding videographers were without camera, and had other people shooting pictures of them. A different, strange, feeling for the people that usually stand behind the camera to become the protagonists. But it is fun!
After warming up the atmosphere, the outstanding brazilian artist Junior Luz together with his fiancee Michelle Cordeiro, the presenters of the big event, walked on stage and started to go over the various categories and nominations. The tension was rising and this was the moment that all the people were expecting. After the year long efforts it was the time for a drumroll for all the winners!
Pre-Wedding Film of the Year Award Winning Videographer
For the filmmakers, first was announced the category of pre-wedding film of the year. A great emotion when the Cinema of Poetry was announced to win the trophy for the pre-wedding film of Yiannis and Vanessa in Switzerland.
Michelle and Junior welcomed me on stage with a big hug, and I told the people that if I were to win more awards that night, I would have done a speech in Portuguese! Side note: I don’t have a clue of speaking Portuguese! The saga of the awards had just started…
Wedding Film of the Year Award
After a few more categories, it was again the time to announce another awarded wedding videographer: the winner of the Wedding Film of the year. Probably one of the most disputed categories for individual films with an impressive number of 32 films, nominated in this category!
After going through the list of the nominees, I was thrilled to hear my name again, this time as the winner of the wedding film of the year! I was really excited because the winner film of the elopement/vow renewal of Marta & Eider is one of the most emotional stories that I have ever filmed.
The crazy group of the brazilian videographers and good friends (Cinemotion Filmes, Bruno Battuta, R2 Filmes, Diney de Souza, Elton Sabatino just to name a few) raised me and brought me on the scene on their arms. It was a moment of genuine happiness and big smiles shared anong friends.
A photographer that had travelled all the way from Angola to Brazil for the ceremony delivered me the trophy, while Junior Luz continued warming up the masses with his performance as the host of the event. I couldn’t be happier with two Golden Lens awards already!
Most Awarded Wedding Videographer of the Year
We were already past midnight, local time, in Itajaí when one of the most prestigious categories for filmmaking was about to be announced. The winner of the Most Awarded Videographer of the year is based entirely on the merit of the total number of awards accumulated during the 5 contest sessions, which are judged each time by a different jury.
The result was a very tight decision and was only determined by details as it happened that both me and my Brazilian friends of Cinemotion films had 10 films awarded during the year. So the points of the “Honorable Mentions” (films that had scored 8/10 during the year but didn’t get an award eventually) had to be counted to determine the winner:
- 1st place: Cinema of Poetry
- 2nd place: Cinemotion Filmes
- 3rd place: Bruno Batuta
We celebrated together with the brazilian videomaker friends, as all the three winners in this category get a trophy. Cinema of Poetry was the most Awarded Wedding Videographer in the world for 2019! What an amazing feeling!
International Filmmaker of the Year Award
The most prestigious category awards were kept for the end of the ceremony. The amazing photographer Sergio Nogueira was elected International Wedding Photographer of the year. A well deserved title after a year of stunning portfolio and many awards.
However, my emotions cannot be described when around 01.30 AM Brasilian time (6.30 AM Greek time) I have heard my brand name being announced as International Filmmaker of the year. Although I had already won this title in 2018, I didn’t expect this to happen for 2 years in a row. This was truly a unique experience and an amazing feeling!
But I had made a promise that I would have delivered a speech in Portuguese if I were to win more awards. And that was the case. Hence, that was the time to undergo this challenge too. Google translate was my friend. But I made it! People told me that they did understand everything. These were words from the heart, and I am really happy that I have managed to transmit these words in their mother tongue.
Junior then told me that I had to jump from the stage, for the traditional “pulo” of the Golden Lens Award. Everyone is expecting this from the winners. It was truly a unique moment that I will keep forever in my heart.
A crazy party followed till the morning. I remember that we have seen the sunrise that morning going out of the venue. What a night it was!
The importance of being an Award Winning Videographer
I feel really blessed to see my professional ethos and artistic approach receiving so much love, appreciation and awards from the most important organizations and film Festivals. Of course, as a destination wedding videographer, receiving awards is not my direct professional goal. Awards are not meant to fill our ego with stupid arrogance. Because, after all, we are filmmakers and photographers. We are not rock stars!
Nevertheless, awards are a very constructive way to grow professionally and personally, to challenge our brain and see if we are on a right track to provide the best of our head, soul and inspiration to our clients. After all, the sincere recognition and support from my international colleagues, some of the top names in the industry, just fills me with motivation to continue telling stories in my particular way and style.
What I value the most from this experience are the friendships for life that I have gained in this journey. And I want to keep these friendships as a tattoo on my heart so that they never fade! So, thank you so much for your love, your hospitality, your friendship. This is the most beautiful gift for me.
Have a look at all the awards that I have received during the past years.
Are you planning your elopement or your wedding? Are you looking for a Top Award Winning Wedding Videographer in Europe? I would be delighted to be your destination wedding videographer. Check out my most recent films on the Diary and get in touch with me today. I cannot wait to meet you!
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Your Story is Poetry.
AMAZING! it was an honor to participate in this great moments, and it’s an even great honor to call you FRIEND! well deserved buddy! you’re a great guy and a great professional! see you next year with more “esquenta-do-esqunta”, parties and of course, more awards for your gallery!
Thank you for stopping by my friend. And for your comment. These are truly some of the greatest memories for me. Not only for the fact of being an awarded videographer, but, mainly, for the true friendships for life that I made in Brazil with all the fellow wedding photographers and Videographers there. And you are a true friend Thiago! Missing all of you guys.
So nice to see a friend like Kostas winning fucking everything!!! Big hugs for everybody!!!
Thank you very much Pol. Being alongside good friends and great artists like you is always a pleasure.
Bonita fiesta