Otchlan

(Chasm)
by Wojciech Kasperski
33’, Poland, 2009

The mountains of northern Siberia are the setting for this story that has the flavour of the mythical adventures narrated by Jack London. It is the story of a solitary gold digger; of a man who, in an arid and inhospitable mountain region, is searching for his treasure. Having left the world behind and withdrawn to live in a modest hut in the heart of the mountains, this man seems trapped by his great passion that soon becomes an obsession. His only reason for being is the hope of hearing the sound from his metal detector when it signals that among the rocks there is a fragment of the precious metal. Closed in his hut, the man weighs the gold in ounces and notes the results of his daily search in his diary. Night falls, and again it is day. And so, day after day, his life goes on in the silence and solitude of the mountains.

Wojciech Kasperski
Born in 1981, he earned a diploma from the Lodz Film School, and directs shorts and documentaries in Poland and Russia, with a particular preference for Siberia where he returns as often as possible. He has participated in the INPUT Conference and the Cannes Film Festival in the sections, Tous Les Cinémas du Monde and Prix Europa.