The documentary "Deep Love" won the XIII DocFilm Festival in Gdańsk

Today we missed some news, but nothing prevents us from writing about another success of the film “Deep Love” which tells a story of true love. The one between people and the one when a person loves diving so much that nothing can stop him from going under the water. Even if there is a risk that it will be the last time.

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The 13th edition of the DocFilm Festival documentary film festival in the Tri-City area ended on Sunday 14 June 2015. The winner was the aforementioned picture “Deep Love”, directed by Jan Matuszyński, which turned out to be the best of the 24 films entered in the competition.

The filmmakers received a “Freedom Gate” statuette, which depicts fragments of the wall with the wings of the gate open to the public. The statuette was also accompanied by a cash prize of PLN 20,000, funded by the Mayor of Gdansk. However, the chairwoman of the jury – Magdalena Piekorz during the announcement of the verdict stated that: “The makers of the film “Deep Love” receive the award for “high artistic values, for the compatibility of form and content, for skilfully showing that freedom is an internal matter of the individual”.

Deep Love is a moving documentary produced by HBO telling a story of love that knows no boundaries, passion greater than fear and determination to start living again. The main character, a paralysed diver, wants to fulfil his dream – to dive in the legendary and dangerous Blue Hole in Dahab, Egypt. The goal is risky, but it is one that helps the protagonist come back to life again.

Self-confident fifty-year-old Janusz, a very active man, a keen diver with outstanding achievements, suffers a stroke, as a result of which he becomes paralysed. Thanks to rehabilitation and the help of his partner Asia, he starts to move and function more and more efficiently. However, he still has serious communication problems and the only person who understands his speech is Asia. She becomes the interpreter between him and the world. What spurs him on and motivates him to keep fighting is his big dream – he would like to dive again, even though it is a serious threat to his health and life.

Doctors do not consent to such madness, they know that Janusz may not come back from such a long journey in his current state of health. Every day Asia fights his limitations, with devotion and patience she helps him to find his way in the world, but she also does not want to lose him and easily agree to his increasingly risky desires. On the other hand, she sees how strong his contact with water and his passion for diving is, which, despite his serious illness, still lives in him and, more importantly, brings him back to life. Dilemmas and dilemmas she has, he knows he must dive, deep.