Wonderful Losers Win in South Korea
At the third edition of a mountain film festival in South Korea, Lithuanian Arunas Matelis received the award for the best adventure and exploration film. Here are some words about the festival, followed by the clever jury motivation for the award:
The festival: As the only mountain film festival in Korea, the Ulju Mountain Film Festival aims to collect and introduce today’s important mountain films from around the world, as a platform to investigate the trends and flow of current mountain culture.
Another goal is to portray people as we live along with nature. There will be trials and conquests, cravings and adventures, challenges and failures – and also successes, conflict and coexistence. Amid it all, we will think about the never ending, nay (?), soaring life.
Jury statement: We are so used to focusing only on the winners. But there are also those who stand behind winners like shadows and help them shine. And there are many more losers than there are winners. So the way we see them becomes more important. The depth and level of skill demonstrated in this film that deals with the aspirations and reality of human beings is truly surprising and outstanding. Taking a dry, composed, observation point of view strikes a stark contrast against a setting bursting with various incidents and noises to complete a fantastic story. Whether it is an athlete in the spotlight or a gregario who stands in their shadow supporting them, they all have aspirations and live in time where despair and success coexist. We do not know if their life is a blessing or a curse but this film is truly a blessing for us. Because we are able to live and breathe with them. We wish to share this blessing with those who do their role in supporting winners and the ‘Wonderful Losers’ who receive this award. Written by jury member Lee Jae-Kyoo.
