01-06-2016

FNE at TIFF 2016 Romanian Days: The Magic Mountain

By
    Magic Mountain by Anca Damian Magic Mountain by Anca Damian

    CLUJ-NAPOCA: Using the same mix of animation techniques as she did in Crulic - The Path to Beyond (Aparte Film), Anca Damian tackles the second part of her trilogy on heroism with the life of Adam Jacek Winkler (1937-2002), a 20th century Polish Don Quixote. The Magic Mountain will screen in the Romanian Days at the 15th edition of Transilvania IFF (TIFF, 27 May - 5 June 2016).

    Adam Jacek Winkler was a photographer and a mountaineer, who moved to Paris as a political refugee and fought as Adam Khan in Afghanistan on the side of the mujahideen in the 1980’s. He climbed Mont Blanc, leaving a solidarity flag with the Afghan people there, and died while on another solitary climb. Damian and Ania Winkler wrote the script and the film uses the photographic archive of Winkler as well as his drawings and original filming, which imitates the style of silent movies.

    Damian produced the film through Aparte Film in coproduction with Benedicte Thomas and Guillaume de Seille through the Paris-based company Arizona Films Distribution, and Wlodek Matuszevski from the Polish production company Filmograf. The Romanian National Film Center (CNC) and The Polish Film Institute (PISF) supported it.

    The animation was created at the Romanian studios DSG and Abis Studio, and also in Poland. The acclaimed Romanian-born London-based violonist and composer Alexander Balanescu wrote the score.

    The film received the Special Jury Mention in the Main Competition of Karlovy Vary IFF in 2015. It has won various awards including ARD Prize (Leipzig), Grand Prix (Amiens), Animafix Prize (Gijon) and Anilogue Special Jury Prize (Budapest). The film was nominated for Best Long Documentary, Best Editing and Best Original Music, winning for Best Original Music at the Gopo Awards 2016. It also won Best Long Documentary at the UCIN Awards Gala organized by the Romanian Filmmakers Union on 16 May 2016.

    Damian also won the Eurimages Audentia Award the 35th Istanbul Film Festival with the film. 

    The Magic Mountain was released in Romania by Aparte Film on 9 October 2015, in Poland by Solopan on 23 October 2015, and in France by Arizona Films Distribution in December 2015. The French company is also handling the sales.

    Production Information:

    Aparte Film
    Calea Călăraşi, nr. 165
    Bucharest,Romania
    Phone: +40 213204128, +40 318084046
    www.aparte-film.net 
    This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

    Filmograf
    ul.Niedźwiedzia 29B
    02-737 Warsaw, Poland
    Phone: + 48 22 8455345, + 48 603773537
    Fax: + 48 22 8455345
    www.filmograf.com.pl 
    This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

    Credits:
    Director: Anca Damian
    Script: Anca Damian and Ania Winkler

    Editor: Ion Ioachim Stroe
    Animation and Graphics: Theodore Ushev, Raluca Popa, Dan Panaitescu, Sergiu Negulici, Dragoş Ştefan,Tomek Ducki
    Original music: Alexander Balanescu