Are tourists destroying the planet-or saving it? How do travelers change the remote places they visit, and how are they changed? From the Bolivian jungle to the party beaches of Thailand, and from the deserts of Timbuktu, Mali to the breathtaking beauty of Bhutan, GRINGO TRAILS traces stories over 30 years to show the dramatic long-term impact of tourism on cultures, economies, and the environment.
After a family tragedy, Charlie and his estranged son, Boots, try to put their differences aside and head off on the road trip of a lifetime - from regional Victoria to the Cape York Peninsula - they overcome many challenges to reach their dream - to fish off the northernmost tip of Australia.
Although theorised, no one is really ready when a mountain pass above the scenic and narrow Geiranger fjord in Norway collapses and creates a tsunami over 300 feet high. A geologist is one of those caught in the middle of it.
In between growing frustrations toward cleaning up after an endless parade of tourists and reflections on a traumatizing memory, a voice rises from within a soft-spoken Hawaiian janitor down on the sidewalk in Waikiki. This narrative short film is inspired by a collection of poetry published posthumously featuring the work of Kānaka Maoli poet Wayne Kaumualii Westlake (1947-84).
A journalist from an Eastern European country arrives in Paris to start a tour of European capitals. His intention is to make a documentary about the European dream. Between fascination and difficulty of adaptation, Sorgoï struggles to complete his project and his expedition drives him to a devastating state of madness.
Martin Ward is a cove fisherman, without a boat. His brother Steven has repurposed their father’s vessel as a tourist tripper, driving a wedge between the brothers. With their childhood home now a getaway for London money, Martin is displaced to the estate above the picturesque harbour. As his struggle to restore the family to their traditional place creates increasing friction with tourists and locals alike, a tragedy at the heart of the family changes his world.
This short fictional film features the picturesque seaside landscape of Prince Edward Island as the setting for a summer romance between a girl from Winnipeg and a young fisherman from North Rustico, PEI. The young couple visits historic and scenic sites such as Government House in Charlottetown and Cavendish, of Green Gables fame. The film is a classic summertime romance and a nostalgic visit to the delightfully sun-soaked PEI of the past.
The phenomenon of tourism arrives to a remote village. A married couple sells their property to open a motel, which would be a starting point for their daughter Andjelija's singing career. The local radio-amateur (and Andjelija's boyfriend) helps them to achieve these goals, but Andjelija is more interested in her love life than her career.
When a Hong Kong teenager from a poor family wins a trip to Japan, he unleashes a chain of events that will soon bring him from his secluded fishing village to Tokyo. On the way, he connects with a barely competent tour guide and a gender-fluid pickpocket. Upon returning home with this merry band of schemers, he and his family of counterfeiters discover that a multinational conglomerate led by a ruthless Japanese developer has found the village, and is determined to raze it to build the new center of world trade.
A middle-aged lady on a holiday in the sun tries to make new friends and have a good time. The role is played by a one year old girl, the rest of the cast are marionette puppets.
A photographer discovers two shipwrecked women and a man living as nudists.
Mallorca, 1963. The island’s beaches welcome masses of tourists wearing bikinis and sunglasses. Maria Bel, a young girl from the inland, has to choose between spending the summer guiding two Swedish tourists, driven by the sexual awakening caused by one of them, or taking care of her agonizing grandfather.
In a hidden paradise somewhere in the Philippines, two brothers share a simple but sufficient life. Things change when an unexpected visitor brings a new-found attention to their island home. With their idyllic island now on the tourism spotlight, they're now forced to cope with the perils of uncontrolled urbanization.
A deck-chair attendant at a British resort promotes a film festival featuring a French sexpot.
Police chief Brody must protect the citizens of Amity after a second monstrous shark begins terrorizing the waters.
In the competitive world of tourism, there are very few experiences that are out of bounds. “Danger Zone” explores the world of war tourism, catering to a growing market for ever more rare and extreme experiences.
A man's journey becomes the wonderful experience of a grandfather and his granddaughter. In the intimate evocation of Ernest Hemingway, the old man leads the little girl into the historical memory of the land where the great writer lived. Riding their bicycles and recalling a past of timeless art and culture, the two will reach the most beautiful destination: the one from which to start again.
A hotel porter is left a fortune but after living it up for a while he returns to his old place of work which is in financial difficulties.
What do the Japanese see in Canada? What's the magnetic pull from the Far East? And what's our take on this land of ours? Bolstering our feeling of national pride comes naturally after watching the Japanese embrace the country. The film follows Masaaki Kagami, a Japanese transplanted in Alberta. He specializes in making souvenir videos for Japanese tourists. HO! KANADA is an investigation of national stereotypes. The film records the way the Japanese see us, and how we see them and ourselves.
The story of Jarda Kuchař, a hero of the bygone era of Tuzex vouchers. His income comes from renting out his own apartment. Every summer, he is forced to spend his time at an abandoned pond, where he runs an even more abandoned snack bar. His right-hand man (and he is left-handed) is the local simpleton Kamil Hošpes. Among the handful of customers are two tractor drivers, Jirka and Péťa, and Jarda's sworn enemy, the fanatical fisherman Pepa Vrtílek with his dog Pepík. The capricious summer days are disrupted by an apparition of monstrous proportions. Lojza, a monster catfish, emerges from the depths of the third irrigation category and eats Vrtílek's dog. Jarda Kuchař sees Lojza as an opportunity to revive local tourism. He calls on fishermen from all over the country. And two actually arrive...