DJI And PEUGEOT Announce Winner Of PEUGEOT Drone Film Festival

DJI And PEUGEOT Announce Winner Of PEUGEOT Drone Film Festival

The PEUGEOT Drone Film Festival has announced the winner of its 2019 competition. During the finals at the luxury hotel Jumeirah in Frankfurt, the jury chose the film „Calçada Portuguesa“ by Bernardo Bacalhau. The young Portuguese filmmaker beat more than 800 competitors and received a grand prize consisting of high quality DJI equipment worth 2,500 Euros, two PEUGEOT Traveler MPVs for six weeks and 5,000 Euros of travel funds. DJI, the world’s leader in civilian drones and aerial imaging technology, and the luxury hotel Jumeirah Frankfurt were co-sponsors of the festival. 

“A plethora of filmmakers from all over the world participated in this year’s PEUGEOT Drone Film Festival,” said Steffen Raschig, Managing Director of PEUGEOT Germany. “That was overwhelming, and we are very pleased with the result. Choosing one of the more than 800 submissions was a challenge for the jurors, but they have found a worthy winner in Bernardo Bacalhau’s “Calçada Portuguesa”.”

The winner hails from Portugal

“Calçada Portuguesa” is the term for Portuguese cobblestones. They traditionally consist of artful mosaics made of white limestone and black basalt, beautifully shot by Bacalhau. The film also features French BMX artist Matthias Dandois who performs breathtaking tricks at different locations in Lisbon.

“The special attraction of this film is the way Bernardo Bacalhau combined spectacular aerial shots of the wonderful cobblestone patterns and the artistry of Matthias Dandois with a subtle music track that fits the topic,” said Barbara Stelzner, Director of Marketing & Corporate Communication for DJI Europe. “This is a wonderful example of how drone technology can unleash creative thinking in an innovative and intelligent manner.”

Courtesy of the grand prize, the winner can now embark on new adventures to create more stunning drone footage. The finals of the PEUGEOT Drone Film Festival were attended by the twelve best filmmakers of the competition. As an appreciation for their achievements, DJI provided a comprehensive creative workshop showcasing the latest drone technology as well as a range of camera gimbals and other filmmaking equipment.

High number of participants

Deadline for entries to the international contest was the beginning of September 2019. More than 800 submissions from 30 countries around the globe competed in the categories “Landscape”, “Sports”, “Experimental” and “Story Telling”. While the first three categories required 50 per cent of the film being shot with drones, in the “Story Telling” category the threshold was 30 per cent.

The jury consisted of Barbara Stelzner, Director of Marketing & Corporate Communication for DJI Europe, the director of the luxury hotel Jumeirah Frankfurt, Daniela Fette-Rakowski, the actress Lisa Maria Potthoff, the actors Simon Schwarz, Matthias Brandt and August Zirner, the director Stephan Wagner and the editor-in-chief of Focus Online, Florian Festl. Key criteria included the use of drone footage as well as the overall quality and content of the film.

Press