NEWS & MOVIES ARCHIVE

5th International underwater film festival and satellite meeting the 9th Symposium Diving AST

This year’s festival stepped with small but determined steps and different approach next to the side of bigger and more prestige festivals. In three days the festival enthralled more than 1300 sea lovers from broaden Adriatic region. After two year break the festival was joined by Symposium Diving AST, that took place for the first time 10 years ago and in one of the editions helped to create the very first International underwater film festival.
This year’s combination of film festival, symposium, exhibition of underwater photography, concert of one of the best World accordionist and kid’s Art contest “Sprehodi pod morjem” proved to be a winning combination since all parts had full attendance. It would be difficult to outline the best part of the festival, since all parts offered surpluses in their areas.
The festival started on Thursday, 31. January 2013, and was targeted on this day to the youngsters. At the end more than 800 pupils from different schools participated on first day. The festival continued on Friday with round table about conservative diving, where the discussion about underwater danger for divers started. The academicals entrance to the festival continued with evening opening of art exhibition that was in this year divided into two parts. In first part four world-class underwater photographers (Gianni Pecchiar, Jill Heinerth, Leigh Bishop and Aleksander Semenov) presented their works and in second part drawing from pupils who took part in kid’s Art contest were presented. The latter contest received amazing feedback with 265 pupils from 44 primary schools participating in the event. Received art works were digitalised and printed in special technique used as well in the first part of exhibition for presentation of underwater photography. It was the first time that such technique was presented to Slovene public. After exhibition, the evening was followed by the concert of Bratko Babič and The Medleys group and at the end the movies that did not make it to the Grand prix evening were played. It was a special honour to be able to present a Spanish movie Prometei, which is the first movie that found its way to the festival by itself which confirms the recognition the festival is gaining out of the region. The festival was as well attended by all the authors and lecturers who used the opportunity and got prepared for the biggest event on Saturday, the Symposium Diving AST 2013.
The honour of opening the symposium was given to doyen of hyperbaric and marine medicine Stacimir Gošović, MD, PhD, who was already the honour guest at first symposium in 2003. Standard scheme with three parts included this year twelve amazing themes, that enthral the audience including special guest, Mr. Borut Pahor, the president of Slovenia, who is already the second president to attend the symposium in 10 years. The symposium gathered, among lecturers from eleven countries, presidents of all diving federations from Atlantic region including the president of C.M.A.S. Mr. Archille Ferrero. The presented themes described beauty, danger and incredible achievements in free, scuba and technical diving. Audience was able to hear about diving under ice without diving suit, building of touristic submarines, details about the origin of diving tables, cage diving, exploring the most significant wrecks on Earth and handicapped divers that are after ten years able to dive equally as other divers. Unfortunately all presenters were limited to 20 minutes, although there is no doubt that Natalia Avseenko, Jörg Haas, Aleksander Semenov, Ronald Y. Nishi, Costantino Balestra, Simon Mitchel, Jill Heinerth, Leigh Bishop or Ivan Derviš, would be separately able to fill entire symposium with their unbelievable experience and knowledge.
After exhausting day symposium moved to Arts Centre Slovenske Konjice where four movies, two of them for the first time, were played in the final Grand Prix evening. Firstly a movie about Natalia Avseenko, a woman who swam naked and surrounded by white whales under the ice was presented. The movie was played outside the Russian federation for the first time. This was followed by movie Travel between the worlds where the audience was able to find out more about Mai culture. 
In the short break between the movies, the awards for best drawings, sponsored by Gea, and crystal seahorses were presented tothree best authors and their mentors in Art contest. In the final part of the evening additional two films were presented, namely Norwegian story Silver of the Sea and first presentation of Slovene film a Water Spirit, The story of Slovenian disabled divers. The festival finished with presentation of main Grand Prix award the crystal seahorse that was in this year presented to the Russian movie On the Edge.
The festival became in its five years internationally recognisable and will in future further explore diving world and go hand in hand with symposium Diving AST. This year’s festival was dedicated to Dušan Kuščer, who is together with Marjan Richter the father of the festival. 
At the end I would like to thank all the good people and organisations that contributed in festival. We are looking forward to see you in one year’s time, between 30 January and 1 February 2014.
 
Foto: Miha Matavž, Nevenka Richter Peče, Gregor Mlakar

2. 02. 2013