British filmmaker Charlie Ottley launches “Discover Oltenia” film
British journalist and filmmaker Charlie Ottley recently launched the film "Discover Oltenia” at the National Peasant’s Museum in Bucharest. The new documentary promotes the Oltenia de sub Munte region in Romania - an aspiring UNESCO geopark that stands out with its rich cultural and natural wealth.
The journalist is also currently filming in Maramureş for the third season of the documentary "Flavours of Romania."
He had previously mentioned that he gathered a huge amount of material for an episode dedicated to the region of Oltenia.
"It was an amazing experience to make this episode for Oltenia de sub Munte, for the geopark. We discovered many places we didn't know about, beyond the Trovants, which appear in the first season. It's a unique region, full of potential. We discovered many beautiful landscapes, but also secrets and stories. Filming was very easy; I thought it would be difficult. We wanted to capture three seasons," he said, cited by Agerpres.
Charlie Ottley talked about the advantages of including this area among UNESCO geoparks, appreciating it as one of the best initiatives in Romania.
"We need more protected natural areas because Romania has very high biodiversity; it is a lung of Europe, and we can show the world how to coexist with nature while also enhancing the experience of tourists who come to visit the country," he said.
According to Florin Stoican, the president of the Kogayon Association who sat down with Romania Insider for an interview last summer, documentation for including this area among UNESCO geoparks has passed a series of evaluations, and a favorable response could be given in the spring of next year. As such, Oltenia de sub Munte is set to become Romania's third UNESCO international geopark.
“We applied a few years ago; last year we sent the documentation, and it passed the evaluations of the International Commission for Geological Sciences and the UNESCO Commission. In July, we expect the official evaluation. Two evaluators from UNESCO will come to see what we have done, who we are, and what we want to do. If everything goes well, next spring, we will become Romania's third international UNESCO geopark," he said.
The area includes 4,500 hectares of national park, 1,300 hectares of virgin forests protected by the National Catalog of Virgin Forests, and 15 natural reserves.
Preparing the film involved hundreds of hours of recordings, capturing images from all seasons: autumn colors, snow, spring flowers, and the beginning of summer.
"When we started filming, Charlie knew almost nothing about this region. [...] Now, we have practically opened the door to Oltenia de sub Munte, and the local community guided him. We showed him what we believe is the most valuable about the region: from nature to culture and people. Through the perspective of a filmmaker and a foreigner looking at what we have, he condensed into this film what I believe is most valuable about the area," said Florin Stoican.
(Photo source: Facebook/Oltenia de sub Munte - geoparc aspirant U N E S C O)
