SILVER GENTIAN FOR MARCIN KOSZAŁKA
Marcin Koszałka’s documentary „Declaration of immortality” has been appreciated abroad once again – this time at the TrentoFilmFestival in Italy, the event with over fifty year’s tradition presenting diverse aspects of mountain cinema.
As the President of the Festival, Egidio Bonapace, said: “The 59th TrentoFilmfestival focuses its thoughts firmly on the mountains and how cinema, literature and mountaineering feats can help defend and promote mountain culture. This has been the Festival’s task since it was founded in 1952 by the Italian Alpine Club and the City of Trento, later to be joined by the City of Bolzano.”
Following the idea of promoting the mountain culture, this year’s edition of TrentoFilmfestival has offered over 150 films being the part of mountain cinema.
There were 24 films taking part in the Festival competition. The jury including: Marianne Chaud (France), Leena Pasanen (Finland), David Breashears (USA), Giorgio Fornoni (Italy) Andreas Pichler (Italy) awarded 7 prizes. One of them – Silver Gentian for the best artistic-technical contribution – went to Marcin Koszałka’s ‘Declaration of immortality'.
In the jury’s raport it is said: “The jury appreciates the filmmaker’s innovative method of using different layers of cinematic language to create an unsettling portrait. Using composition, location and light he reveals to us the loneliness of a professional climber’s struggle against aging and his own mortality.”
The protagonist of Marcin Koszałka’s story is Piotr “Mad” Korczak, somewhere in the background there is his rival Andrzej Marcisz. The director focuses on the decline of the career of the great master, provoking his reflection on his future life, when he will no longer be able to climb mountains. It’s a moving story about inability to come to terms with old age and about desire of immortality.
More about the Festival at: www.trentofestival.it.