Declaration of Immortality

Colour, 35 mm
Poland, 2010, 30 min
Section: Documentary Films in Competition

Synopsis

Piotr Korczak is a god among Polish climbers. Back in the mid-1980s he initiated what are now legendary levels of climbing difficulty. Polish director Marcin Koszałka gives us breathtaking shots of his remarkable sporting feats which also demonstrate that the filmmaker himself is quite at ease scaling vertical rock faces. Using innovative techniques to develop a multilayered film language and incorporating thought-provoking dialogue, the director presents a disturbing portrait of a professional climber’s solitary struggle with ageing and mortality.

About the director

Marcin Koszałka (b. 1970, Krakow) studied sociology, cinematography, and production at the University of Silesia. As a cameraman he worked on several features (e.g. Scratch and Till It Hurts - both presented at KVIFF 2009). Filmography as director: Such a Nice Boy (1999), Namesday (2000), Come What May (2001), All Day Together (2006 – awarded at the Jihlava IDFF), Death with a Human Face (2007), Existence (2007), Declaration of Immortality.