Discovering Canary Islands to be presented at the San Sebastián International Film Festival

The adventure reality show, Discovering Canary Islands, original content from Rakuten TV in collaboration of Initiative and Atlantia, will be presented at the San Sebastián International Film Festival on 19th September. Hosted by Presenter and Reporter, Pilar Rubio, the programme will be part of the 70th edition of the festival, coinciding with the first anniversary of the volcanic eruption of the volcano in the island of La Palma.

The Victoria Eugenia Theatre in San Sebastián will host the premiere of Discovering Canary Islands, the first adventure reality show to be shown as part of the city’s International Film Festival, in a special gala.

Hosted by Pilar Rubio, the show will explore the most incredible and surprising myths of the Canary Islands and its 8 contestants, from eight different European countries, will learn more about the local culture and traditions. A journey of discovery, devised and co-produced by Atlantia Media and Initiative/Mediabrands Content Studio – strategic partners of Turismo de Canarias. Over six episodes, contestants will have to face tests and challenges that will show the charms of the region to its viewers.

Evan Edinger, 31 years old will be representing the United Kingdom. The American, based in the UK, is a natural leader. Evan who is a photgrapher and YouTuber, is dedicated to social media and has a YouTube channel where he chronicles his travels to  more than 700k followers.

The profiles of the other participants have been revealed, all well-known influencers who will compete to be the best explorer in Europe:

France
Nathan Nuyts, 23, originally from Belgium, is a former first division footballer. He has been playing professional football since the age of 12, although just over a year ago he hung up his football boots to fully commit to his career as a model and influencer where he has 400k followers.

Italy
Jill Cooper, 54, Italy. She is known as the Italian “Jane Fonda” and has been working in the fitness world for more than 30 years. She has collaborated with different TV shows as a celebrity trainer and is a competitive woman with personality and a lot of energy.

Germany
Tom Belz, 34 years old and born in Germany, is an example of determination in the face of adversity. He lost a leg due to bone cancer when he was only 8 years old, but has become a fighter who knows no limits. He has climbed Kilimanjaro and is constantly setting himself new challenges.

Belgium
Julie Vanderzijl, 35, a fashion influencer from Belgium, is a supermom of three children. She has participated in Big Brother (Belgium and Holland), becoming a finalist and is a regular contributor to several TV channels and big productions.

Ireland
John Sharpson, 35, from Ireland, is a presenter and school teacher. Very proud of his roots, John wants Irish history and folklore to be known all over the world.

Netherlands
Eilish Flesch, 24, Netherlands. She is a former model and has experience in reality shows such as Love Island, as well as her own beauty brand. She is very active on social media and is known for being very competitive.

Finland
Sara Chafak, 31, born in Finland, is an international poker legend. She was Miss Finland in 2012 and subsequently participated in reality shows such as Dancing on Ice, Survivor, where she was a finalist, and Mask Singer.

On 13th October, the first edition of Discovering Canary Islands will join the Rakuten Originals collection – exclusive and free content across 42 European countries, sharing stories of optimism, empowerment and diversity.

Discovering Canary Islands will be available exclusively on Rakuten TV from 13th October