Koszałka Awarded in Finland

Marcin Koszałka received recognition at the 41st Tampere International Short Film Festival in Finland, which drew to a close on March 13.

 

Koszałka received a Diploma of Merit for his 2010 documentary Deklaracja nieśmiertelności (The Declaration of Immortality). The jury statement reads: “Through its masterful use of image, structure and sound this film portrays our eternal struggle against both the limits of the physical world and the limits of our bodies.”

 

The Declaration of Immortality brings back the forgotten genre of mountain films. It is a moving tale about not accepting one’s old age and about man’s desire for immortality. The story is focused around Piotr “Mad” Korczak, Poland’s most acclaimed mountain climber of the 1980s and 90s. Koszałka examines the late years of the great Korczak’s career, while encouraging him to think about what his life will be like when he is no longer able to go climbing.

 

Koszałka’s documentary previously received an award at the 50th Krakow International Film Festival, at the Krakow Mountain Film Festival, and at the Zakopane Mountain Film Festival.

 

The Tampere International Film Festival, organized annually since 1969, is one of Europe’s leading short film festivals, screening approximately 500 films per year in its Finnish and international sections.

Over 4,000 entries were submitted for consideration in the international competition section this year. The final lineup consisted of 69 films from 40 countries: 32 features, 18 animated films, 13 documentaries, and six experimental films.

 

The grand prize of the festival in the Documentary Film category went to Finish director Elina Talvensaari for Miten marjoja poimitaan (How to Pick Berries).  
The festival’s official website is available at: www.tamperefilmfestival.fi

 

Translated by Karolina Kołtun

14.03.2011