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
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Filmograf
ul.Niedźwiedzia 29B
02-737 Warsaw, Poland
Phone: + 48 22 8455345, + 48 603773537
Fax: + 48 22 8455345
www.filmograf.com.pl
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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
