TORONTO — Steps away from the star power of TIFF, another film festival – smaller in scale for sure, but inspirational just the same – took place last night courtesy of Goway.

Hosted by VP Marketing, Mitchell Fawcett, and eTalk host Sonia Mangat, the Goway Micro Film Festival got underway in Toronto’s entertainment district.

Last night’s ‘Audience Choice’ event, with an audience vote for the film fest’s Professional Creator category, was a precursor to the Sept. 18 Grand Finale event in L.A. for all the winners.

First announced last year, and part of Goway’s year-long celebrations for its 55th anniversary, the Goway Micro Film Festival invited three categories of creators – Globetrotters, Travel Advisors and Professional Creators – to submit their 55-second travel videos for a chance to win some $55,000 in travel prizes.

The competition attracted hundreds of entries, said Fawcett, adding that the micro film festival’s popularity in this inaugural year has all but guaranteed its return next year.

The five micro films screened last night included: ‘How Beautiful the Unknown Can Be’ by Stephen Jesse of Toronto; ‘Distance Between Here and Healing’ by Suzette Burton of New York; ‘A Box for Mom’ by Yuval Hasid of New York’; ‘Part of Me’ by Isabelle Victoria of L.A.; and ‘Vietnam’ by Matthew Stephenson of Toronto.

All of the films highlighted beautiful scenes from destinations around the world, in a very compact 55 seconds.

“This has been a really exciting creative endeavour, and the outcome was truly inspiring,” Fawcett said. “We’re here to showcase a new way of storytelling and inspiring travel.”

Fawcett and co-host Mangat both spoke to Goway’s enduring legacy. “Fifty-five years in business is even more impressive than 55 years of marriage,” joked Mangat, before asking Goway founder Bruce Hodge how long he’s been married to wife Claire. “53 years!” called out Hodge, to much applause.

As Fawcett noted, “Goway started in 1970 with a team of one, Goway’s founder, Bruce Hodge. We now have a global presence of more than 700. Goway’s Destination Specialists now book 115 countries on seven continents. The 55-year mark is an incredible milestone and it’s an incredible history.”

Fawcett says the Goway Micro Film Festival will be an annual event

The event’s Platinum sponsor, Turkish Airways, highlighted its network of 130+ countries and 350+ destinations. From Toronto, Turkish Airlines flies six times weekly to Istanbul. Passengers can take advantage of TK’s free stopover program, plus stretch out in the airline’s award-winning Business Class, recently named top J class for the 10th year in a row by Skytrax.

Other sponsors included: Gold sponsors Qantas and Thailand; Silver sponsors South Australia and Australia’s Northern Territory; and Bronze sponsors Tourism Ireland, Cook Islands, Destination New South Wales and Queensland.

Check out Travelweek Daily on Sept. 19 for the names of all the Goway Micro Film Festival winners, including the winning travel advisor