NEWS & MOVIES ARCHIVE

7th Walking beneath the Sea

Six full years have passed since the first festival of underwater film and video Walking under the sea, which was named with help of Marjan Richter. Marjan raised his good name at prof. Dusan Kuscer who let the festival take over the name that is a synonym for the first steps of the Slovenians at unveiling the mysteries of the underwater world. At the beginning the festival was only a supplement to the successful and well-known symposium Diving AST, in the last three years, the festival has grown and now as an independent event breathes with full lungs, and goes its own way.

The festival lasts for three days, which have traditionally been reserved during the last weekend of January, with now finalized contents which are the basis of today´s festival »Walking beneath the Sea«. It is a small festival of underwater film, underwater photography, children´s drawings and music. The festival has taken a similar path as the symposium and has skilfully escaped large state donations and money from the European funds. The organization of the festival is based solely on the generous assistance of the few patrons and iron will of volunteers of Swimming Club Slovenske Konjice. The festival this year took place under the sign of a mythical number 7.

The first and second day, namely Thursday and Friday (29^th and 30^thof January) were reserved for pupils, students, the elderly and residents of VDC. Visitors enjoyed the five separate projections, and at the great pleasure of the organizers the groups of spectators firmly filled the hall of Cultural Centre of Slovenske Konjice. Together with Tjasa Kangler for a Walk under the sea departed almost around 600 visitors. On the account of the remoteness of Slovenske Konjice, the broadcast of movies took place in primary schools of the Municipality of Slovenska Bistrica, and for the first time in elementary school Limbus also. The films have thus been seen by another 800 young people, so we are closer to the magic figure of 1,500 spectators, we want to set next year.

Friday´s meeting obtained a professional character of the International Symposium Diving AST, and will remain in such a way in the future. Similar to the above-mentioned symposium we once again looked back in history and hashed out some milestones in diving history. This time we celebrated the 60^thanniversary of the death of ing. Karlo Baumann. Prof. dr. Stracimir Gosovic, who has been present in the hall in Slovenske Konjice via Skype, has proved to be a true expert in terms of the knowledge of his life and work. Although ing. Karlo Baumann began to discover the secrets of diving by coincidence and spontaneously, His diving began without any special skills and experience when he dived to sketch the position of the sunken dock in Rijeka port. In His life he made a number of significant milestones in the field of shipbuilding, sailing, rescue at sea and underwater works, and in particular in the field of pedagogy, which concerns diving.

The second part of the Symposium Diving AST belonged to the deep-sea explorer Immi Wallin from Finland. Ever since her first dive at the age of twelve, the diving is part of her life, but later diving also became her profession. Immi Wallin can without exaggeration be placed side by side with Jacques-Yves Cousteau, because under the patronage of Badewanne group she uncovers artefacts (wooden gunboats, submarines ...) hide in a time capsule of the Baltic Sea. Movies, that we could see, and enthusiastic storytelling by Immi, and her vividly and unselfish delivering of her experience to us at detecting these shipwrecks, some of which are old several centuries, took us over completely.

Mini symposium was followed by the opening of the exhibition of underwater photography, created by four extraordinary women. The photographs were briefly presented by Cveto Stefanic. Norwegian Lill HAUGEN (Cold Water Magic), the multiple winners of prestigious international competitions in underwater photography, presented the life of the cold Norwegian Sea. Italian Isabella MAFFEI (Where I Hear My Soul) conjured the beauty of flora and fauna with her photographs. Russian Nataliya CHERVYAKOVA (The Polar Circle) unlike by other photographers, her photographs show the underwater world as it is, without the use of Photoshop. Her documentary photographs, taken within the Arctic Circle, have attracted mainly because of the realistic, not idealized images. Nataliya has been greeted visitors via Skype from windy and rainy Montenegro; the Pole Irena STANGIERSKA (Painted with Light) personally honoured us by her visit. Those of us, who have had the opportunity to meet her, say that like her pictures, she also radiates magic and positive energy.

Friday night was especially ceremonial for the winners of an international fine arts competition held together with the festival Walking under the sea. Among the almost four hundred incoming drawings from Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia and Russia, we selected eighteen of the most beautiful (although they were all very beautiful), all drawings were digitized, printed in the format C1 and exhibited in a small gallery of the cultural center, where together with other underwater photographs of all four photographers, the project Badewane and a promotion of E-magazine “The disabled diver”, are on display until the 20th of February. Each one of eighteen authors of drawings were given a unique sea Horse, the first three have received additional practical gifts, which were awarded in the final evening of the festival.

The highlight of Friday night was definitely appearance of Duo Modus from Switzerland. Antonello Messina, excellent Italian accordionist who appeared along with outstanding Israeli percussionist Omri Hason, and both fascinated with their performance and virtuosity. Their guests, Borut Mori (accordion), Luka Herman Gaiser (bass) and Nino Moreskic (percussion) played music from different genres (classical, jazz and folk).

The third, final day began in the morning with the projections of films, which in previous years have not been shown at the festival. Visitors were able to see films that were shown and awarded at various festivals, but have not qualified for the Grand Prix night.

Grand Prix Saturday night, which was moderated by Katarina Golob and Bostjan Veselic, has brought a number of pleasant surprises. First, we could see a fairy tale performed by folk band Argamak from Bashkiria, then the Mayor of Slovenske Konjice Miran Gorinsek addressed the audience in the hall. After his speech Flyur Nurligayanov, President of the Russian Association of Sport for the disabled came on the stage. He paid tribute to the city of Slovenske Konjice with a donation of the Paraolympic torch, as a sign of friendship and peace. He was carrying the torch at the opening ceremony during the Paraolympic Games in Sochi in 2014. This was followed by a discussion with the main actor of the film Land of Ice (Le Monde de Glace), Frenchman Laurent Marie. He invited us to watch the incredible adventures of young free divers, who ventured to Antarctica, the land of eternal ice, to socialize with local marine animals, including whales.

Break before the second part of the evening brought the presentation of local delicacies and wines from winery Golden Hill, with international addition in the form of Russian caviar, vodka and fat. Croatia was again represented with an excellent red wine from Porec, which was produced by uncle of Klaudia. The wine immediately dissipated as salt water in the summer sun. How important was this non-cultural part is hard to describe, but food and drink help the conversation to run easily. The boundaries are rapidly erased.

In the following of the Grand Prix evening we were greeted by Immi Wallin, than followed a film projection of the authoress Elodie Turpin: Tales of the Sand, hereafter followed by a discussion with the film actress which has performed in a film Butterfly into the blue (Alessandro de Rossi Federico Botta: Butterfly Into the Blue). The story of Milausha Shafikova, Elena Topyricheva from Russia and Barbara Slacek and Alenka Fidler from Slovenia convinced us that dreams are achievable, even though the path is littered with heavy obstacles. The film garnered a huge applause and actress Milyausha could not hold back her tears, when at the end of the premiere she received a new wheelchair, as a gift from companies Bauerfind and Orthopaedics GA.

However, the ceremony was not over yet. All were awaiting the news which film is going to get the main prize. Without a true rival, the Grand Prix award won Jerome Maison for the movie Land of the ice (Le Monde de Glace), which was in his name taken over by the guest of the festival, Laurent Marie. This was official end of the 7th festival of underwater film and photography. 8th festival »Walking beneath the Sea« will occur between 28 and 30 January, or another way the last weekend in January 2016.

The end leaves us with satisfaction of the successful implementation of this year´s festival, and many thanks to all the good people, patrons, without whom the festival would have been shorter and less interesting.

Big thanks and gratitude goes to: Andreja Lipus, Antonija Kuster, Blaz Ribic, Bostjan Veselic, Branko Ravnak and Alenka Fidler, Cveto Stefanic, Elena Topyricheva, Eva Stavbar, Frenk Ratej, Franc Candr, Janez and Margareta Zupan, Jaka Jazbec, Jan Begus, Jan Godec, Jure Mernik, Karolina Krajnc, Katarina Golob, Katarina Richter, Klaudija Poropat, Luka Bregarj, Maja Sivec, Miha Matavz, Mojca Gajsek, Natasa Prosenak, Neven Lukas, Nina Pufic, Oksana Zamul, Petrer Majcen, Renata Klancnik, Rozmari Petek, Sergey Kovalev, Slavko Pačnik, Tatiana Ananieva, Tatjana Varga, Tjasa Kangler, Vanja Sepec, Vojko Nezmah, dr. Zoran Medved …
and patrons:
ADK, AOI, Baitris, Baumuller, Bent, Bojan Krivec s.p., Marjan Borovnik s.p., Brinox, Elpro-Kriznic, Fresjabka, GMI, Grah Automotive, Restaurant Ino, Hotel Smogavc, Hotel Zvon, Isokon, Ksevt, Kongrad, Konjice News, Kostroj, Ko-Lovec, Marovt, Norik, The Municipality of Slovenske Konjice, the Municipality of Slovenska Bistrica, The Municipality of Zrece, Oplast, Orthopaedics GA, Radio Rogla, Advertising studio Babsek, General Library of Slovenske Konjice, Spirala, Stotinka, Syncomp, Unitur, Vecer, Wravor, winery Golden Hill and the Association of Paraplegics of Slovenia.

Walking beneath the Sea, fejlton, TV Maribor