A little more than six years ago we returned to dive in the spectacular cenotes of the state of Quintana Roo (Mexico), those brutal "holes" full of crystal clear water and incredible formations that transport you to another world.
To get out of this fabulous routine, as usual in this area, we were taken to dive in Cozumel, an island located just in front of Playa del Carmen. We did two dives and against all odds, we did not like the dive at all: bad visibility, very little fauna and a boat in not very good conditions. After this experience, we decided not to return.
Four years later, at the end of 2014, Gilda Sigie, director of COZUMEL SCUBA FEST, invited me to give a lecture on sharks at the diving festival. After appreciating the invitation and discussing it with Teresa, my partner, we decided to return to Cozumel to talk about these fabulous animals. The new relationship between "the island" and us was about to begin. . .
Dozens of different dive sites, some totally wild in the northern part, wrecks, cenotes, turtles spawning just a meter away from us, Mayan remains, paradisiacal beaches, natural parks, dream hotels, five star dive centers and wonderful people, was what we found on the island during our "second" stay. A week full of opportunities to enjoy what we would later call "a paradise in the Mayan Caribbean".
After learning exactly what Cozumel was all about, I decided to make a documentary about this place. I didn't want this island to be misjudged again for only doing a couple of dives there with maybe bad luck. Cozumel must be experienced, must be felt, must be seen.
Said and done. With the support of Gilda Sigie and Pedro Joaquin Delbuis of Cozumel Scuba Fest, the airline EVELOP, several hotels like the Intercontinental Presidente and Playa Azul, dive centers like Scubadu, Aldora, Germán Yañez and the Sandoval family, restaurants like Margaritaville and Casa Misión, named by me in a nice way as "Mi casa Misión" because of all the times we ate there, the Fidecomiso de promoción turística de Cozumel, Consejo de promoción turística de México, Fundación de Parques y Museos de Cozumel, the help of Pablo Aguilar and of course, with the unconditional work of my team, Teresa Migoya, the super scriptwriter and Ernesto García, the postproduction wizard, we made "THE DOCU", a documentary that besides touching many aspects of the island makes a tribute to Comandante Cousteau. * (I miss many people who participated and supported, but if not this post would be infinite)
It premiered in November 2015 at the British Film Institute in London, later at the Mexican Embassy in Berlin and Madrid and finally, we did the "star" premiere in Cozumel in front of many of its inhabitants and two international diving stars: Dr. Sylvia Earle and Jean Michele Cousteau.
With the great work of Gilda Sigie it has been presented during this year in many festivals of tourism, television and underwater cinema until arriving to CANNES.
A welcome cocktail at the famous hotel where movie stars stay, the Carlton, to meet the other participants of the festival. The next day, October 13, lunch with our executive producer, Pedro Joaquin Delbouis and his wife, where we reviewed everything that had happened so far regarding the production of the documentary. And finally, at seven o'clock in the evening, a glass of champagne and the start of the awards ceremony.
The Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards was founded in 2010 by Filmservice International and since then is in continuous growth, having become one of the most important corporate film festivals in the world. Each year the number of participating countries is increasing, 50 this time, with more and more innovative and qualified works.
With 39 categories and among more than 1,000 works submitted, our documentary was among the 177 selected and just that night, we were going to know if we had a dolphin in our hands. In the incomparable setting offered by the Palm Beach Casino in Cannes, during the gala dinner, the prestigious jury of the festival, composed of film and television directors and producers whose expert opinion to evaluate audiovisual media is based on their international experience and participation in juries such as those of the Oscar or Emmy awards, awarded our documentary with the Silver Dolphin within the genre Documentary "Travel and Adventure", leaving vacant the gold statuette and as a result, winner in the category. "Cozumel: a paradise in the Mayan Caribbean", a Spanish work of Mexican production, had won in Cannes.
Back in 1961, Jacques Yves Cousteau baptized the waters around Cozumel as one of the world's greatest diving paradises. Starting from here and with the unique environment that the island of Cozumel provides, my team and I have tried to capture in the documentary that, more than 50 years later, this island continues to be one of the best seabed in the world, as well as a spectacular tourist spot to be visited for its history, its vegetation and its people.
Nominaciones y premios
– Barandilla de bronce en el Festival de Cine Submarino de San Sebastián 2015
– Ganador en el United Latino International Film Festival, Oiho 2016
– Tercer lugar en el Cay Film, Islas Caimán 2016
– Selección oficial en el Salento International Film Festival, Italia 2016
– Ganador en la categoría «Aventura y viajes», delfín de Plata, en el Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards 2016
– Selección oficial en el EcoFilm Festival, Koala Lumpur 2016 (por celebrarse)
– Selección oficial en el ART&TOUR International Tourins Film Festival , Oporto Portugal (por celebrarse)
– Selección oficial en el Blue Ocean Film Festival, San Petersburgo Florida 2016 (por celebrarse)
– Primer puesto, Festival de cine de Turismo de Oporto 2016
– Primer puesto, Festival de cine de Turismo de Terres Cataluña 2017
