glassgowkiss

Rad, i am not contradicting myself. Just because someone bought right to show a movie somewhere doesn't mean he should be getting credit for it. Surdel is till the owner to the copy rights. the situation is like this. imagine that i buy star wars for distribution in poland from lucas films. 20 years later i submitt this film to some film festival, like the one in Lodz. film wins first prize. now i pocket the ca$h and the award. wrong! this film still belongs to lucas films, i had rights to show it in movie theaters- that's all. anyway- he had no right to submitt the movie in the first place, since the rules of the festival states clear, that only the legal owner can submitt the entry.

I promised to update the information as I get it. I took your advice and called Bertulis and talked to him for about 25 minutes. He was made aware of this movie after the success of the film in Trento (Italy) in 1969. Lito Tejada-Flores (do not know if I did get the name just right- my apologies if not) was a fellow who told him about the movie. In the spring of 1981 Bertulis went to Poland. There he went to Film Polski (at that time Polish distribution company) in Warszawa. He purchased North American distribution rights to the movie. He believed at the time that he purchased the only existing copy of “Odwrot”. He was also supposedly told that the director of the movie was dead. This fact I have very hard time to believe, since at that time Surdel was still very active as a director. Just 4 years earlier he made a movie about winter Lhotse Expedition. I also checked on Google, that Surdel’s name was mentioned with movies made in the 90’s from the Polar Expeditions by Polish explorer Kaminski. After the copy was brought to the US, it was shown by Bertulis several times, like in Telluride in 1982. He also stated that Banff Mountain Film Festival approached him to show the movie. Among the most important things he said were a couple of facts. First of all he admitted he learned about Surdel (being alive) the same day he flew into Calgary. Apparently he tried to contact him through Jozef Nyka. I do not understand why he did not try to find email to Surdel at that time or even a phone number. Second he also was claiming he was in contact with Jerzy Surdel, but I have copies of his correspondence (last entry December 1, 2004) and there is no mention of this fact. I had a lot of problems with his story. Some of the little details did not add up. The fact of the matter is Alex Bertulis did not own the rights to the movie, hence he did not have the right to accept the prize for it. A lot of actions were done upon assumption, without checking facts. BMFF did fail in the due diligence work.

it has been soloed by at least 2 people. and with m6 rating hardly falls under "hard route"category. the main issue if it is formed up at all (lower ice pitches) and the avi danger. i was there in 2001 and not a drop of ice was on that cliff then. talk to Scott DeCapio...

Bogen and other unbelievers. I don’t know how else to get to your heads. I tried to explain in simplest terms the whole matter. The article (or the link) you provide is writtem by Elzbieta Lipowska, Calgary resident. She is Polish too. She was the one picking Bertulis from the airport and drove him to the Festival. This is the timeline I managed to establish: Bertulis was a member of Polish Dhaulagiri Expedition in 1979. There he met Wojtek Kurtyka. Btw- he had to be rescued high on the mountain by other members of that expedition. Somewhere before December 13, 1981 he flew to Warszawa and obtained a copy of the movie “Odwrot”. He kept the movie, what he believed the last copy of it, for over 20 years. After his retirement he decided to restore the copy, he was in possession of. Before September of 2004 he submitted the mentioned film to Banff Mountain Film Festival and the movie was accepted. He also believed, that the director and the producer- Jerzy Surdel was dead. He also was claiming that it was unknown and forgotten movie, saved by him from obscurity. Now this is the most important part of the timeframe and sequence of events. He flew to Calgary on Thursday November 4, 2004. Elzbieta Lipowska picked him up from the airport. In the meantime she contacted Andrzej Slawinski (another Polish climber in Calgary- Rafal’s Slawinski father). Andrzej Slawinski explained, that Jerzy Surdel was not dead; he was alive, retired and lived part time in Poland and Switzerland. He also made Bertulis aware, how to contact Surdel. Knowing all these facts Bartulis attended film screening on Saturday November 6, 2004 in the main theater. This film received very good reception, both from the critics. On Sunday, November 7th, 2004 the representatives of the Festival asked Bertulis to stay for the award ceremony. During the ceremony Bertulis received the “Grand Prize”, the statue and a check for (so I think) 4 000 CAN. During his acceptance speech he did not mentioned any of the facts involving the director. Now some more facts: #1.“Unknown film” is not so unknown, since it won the main prize in Trento (Italy) in 1969. There were also several screenings of the movie in Germany, England, NYC (dates can be provided and they are public knowledge. This movie was shown on Polish TV several times- I know- I saw it myself. #2. “The last copy”- copy of this movie is available from Polish Movie Archives in 35mm, 16mm and DVD (address, telephone # and prices can be provided) #3. Awards- Banff Film Festival was aware of the whole issue within days after the festival. They never contacted Mr. Surdel (even they were provided with his email address). Even more- the director/producer found out from the flood of email messages. Epilogue: None of the claims from Mr Bertulis turned out to be true. He also accepted the prize at the Festival with complete and full knowledge, that Mr. Surdel is alive. Mr. Surdel, Mr. Slawinski and Mr. Nyka (long time contributor to many international climbing publications) tried to contact Banff Mountain Film Festival. As the response they received only two things: in the first letter BMFF sates they are in a process of contacting the lawyer. Second email contained only one sentence, asking for account information for Mr. Surdel. BMFF did not publicly change any statements since the end of the festival. Nor they did not apologize to anyone. Surdel owns the right to this movie. Bertulis never tried to contact Surdel. End of the story.

like copy right infringment and giving the prize to Bertulis, while they didn't even bother letting Surdel know his film won?

as far as red wall wonderers this route is imo the best line in the whole area. i must say it was pretty stiff for wi5. the line bolted going through thr roof to the left looks just amazing. does anyone know if it was done already or is it still a project?

doesn't sound to me like any form of apology at all. and it doesn't say who received the "grand prize" either. also i wonder since the film received "grand prize" why it's not shown during the "best of" screenings?

Jay- Dru expressed my feelings exactly on this one. I do not think that any surag coating will do untill a formal apology is issued here. My feeling is that both BMFF and Mr. Bertulis dropped the ball and have to face the music now. There was a bogus story on elephant hunting in Africa in National Geographic. A few issues ago chieff editor issued a public apology for running a bogus story. I can understand people make mistakes. Yet accepting the prize for the film by Mr. Bertulis while knowing Surdel is alive borders on fraud and dihonesty. I do not know what his motivation was, since he decided to keep a complete silence, since the whole issue was raised. I am not judging his whole character here. I am just presenting facts aviable to me at this moment. As far as the issue of Polish climbers getting a shaft for their recognition - let the past be left alone. It sucked for instance that National Geographic in their Everest 50th anniversary issue didn't even mentioned the first winter ascent done by Polish expedition. There were several episodes (like with N Pillar of Eiger) where more marketing savy western climbers tried to re-write climbing history. We cought up though in the past decade. We still do hard routes, but we also submitt kick ass material to western mags (like a new route in the Kitchatnas). Our ascents get nominated for Piolet D'Or, I think we are doing pretty good job at this moment.

yeah, it was introduced like that. the point is how this whole issue was handled: 1. the film was submitted without author's conscent 2. the reward was given to Bertulis, not the director- Surdel (even though he is alive and well) and Bertulis knew it before the festival 3. while Bertulis collected $$$ (I think roughly 4 000 CAN) and gave acceptance speach during the award ceremony nobody even mentioned Surdel. 4. so far Bertulis nor the representatives from Banff Film festival did not issue any public correction, nor apology was given in any public media. Matt- i did write, that there were several attempts to contact both Bertulis and Banf Film Festival by members of Polish climbing community. Jerzy Surdel wrote 2 letters to BMFF with very limmited response. in the first email representative from BMFF said they were contacting their lawyer. in the second letter there was only one sentece asking for his account number. nothing else. also so far Alex Bertulis did not say anything else via mail, email or any other public comment.

a friend of my just called me up asking if i am going to the BMFF in B-ham. at this moment- i don't think so. i am not going to give my money to someone who is behaving like that. so before everyone rushes to see the films in b-ham or seattle ask yourself a question. do you want to support this organization with your $$$ in the view of these facts?

why the fuck would they fucking care? and if they did, joke'm if they can't take the fuck. i wonder if they would fucking edit my motherfucking helmet??

ok I did more reading. so here it goes. According to Elzbieta Lipowska from Calgary (she picked up Bertulis from the airport in Calgary and drove him to Banff) Bertulis knew before the festival that Surdel was alive. Bertulis obtained his copy of this film in Poland before December 13 1981. Initially he thought Surdel was dead, instead of Kalinkiewicz- cameramen. Anyhow, fact of the matter is that while receiving the award he was perfectly aware of the fact, that director of the movie is alive and well. It is still beyond my understanding why organizers of the festival did not confirm the fact of Surdel's death nor they invited him for the ceremony. Also the fact that Bertulis accepted the award is completly bogus and ill intentioned. I just finished conversation with someone from Calgary, who is dealing with this whole matter. In January there is going to be "Best of BMFF 2004" showing in Clagary. Guess what? Odwrot will not be shown. I wonder why "grand Prize" film is not shown? So far Alex Bertulis did not respond in any form. Nor did really BMFF.

Banff Film Festival was made aware of the problem within days after the end of the festival. So far they did not issue a public apology. Even more I had a chance to talk to people involved and their last couple of contacts were rather on a chilly side. Yes Surdel owns rights to the movie. I don't know why even the restoration is an issue people discuss here. First of all there was no need for restoration since a 35 mm copy is aviable form the archives and such copy is made from a master copy. It's obvious to me that BFF was not aware of the whole issue. But on the other hand the deadline for submitting films is early september (I think). So there was over 2 months period to screen the movies and do the legwork. IMO BFF dropped the ball and now they are even not willing to admit about the whole issue. Being anaware of the situation doesn't release a person or an organization from the liability. It is a big deal, since BFF infriges on someone's copy rights and are not even trying to sweap the whole matter under a rug

i don't think they use a counterfit copies to show during film festival screenings.

oh yeah, now we should start making black market copies of american movies and show them in poland too - would be cheaper for us too oh yeah btw i have the last copy of "masters of stone"- i bet i can "restore" it and show it in krakow during the film festival and receive the prize,!!! you are missing the point.

"So what is the "grand prize"? Is it a monetary award or a plaque or trophy or something?" as far as i know the prize was somewhere in 4 000 CAN neighbourhood "How does the amount claimed to have been put toward "saving" it have any bearing on anything unless he was compensated for that expense? Perhaps the film was put through a serious restoration where an original copy was cleaned/restored frame by frame to yield a higher quality than the cheap ones currently available?" The copies aviable from Polish archives are made of the master copy and are aviable in 35 mm (it's the size of films hown in theaters). As far as director of the film is concerned there was no need to restore anything at this point. This film was made on b/w negative and was also shown in black and white in Banff. "Where is the copyright infringement?" the fim was shown without Mr Surdel's conscent or knowledge. Mr Bertulis claimed Mr Surdel is dead. "Is the BMFF selling copies of the film now? Other than holding a screening(s) of the film, how specifically is there a copyright issue?" do not know this either. but BMFF is charging admissions during thier screenings both in Bellingham and in Seattle. "Any particular reason why the producer Surdel never submitted the film himself? I mean he's had what, over thirty-five years/chances to submit it?" maybe he did not feel the need to do so. this film is 37 years old. it did receive several prizes, Trento included. Mr Surdel is retired at this point. the question is why should he submitt? i don't see how relevant this question is at all. "There are alot of questions." no the matter is simple- BFF did not do thier homework. they made a huge mistake and they are not issuing an apology.

share the prize???? now what in the hell did he do to deserve this? he had NOTHING to do with this movie at all. if he took upon himself on "restoring" this film too bad. and just because his copy needed restoration didn't mean the film needed restoration. as i wrote anyone can buy this film in a 35 mm version for about 800 USD and such copy is made directly from the master.

i don't think it's the intend of Mr. Surdel to sue anyone at this point. personally i think people from BFF are behaving like a bunch of angry teens, who's panties are all bunched up.

During the last Banff Film Festival the "grand prize" went to polish film by Jerzy Surdel "Odwrot" (Retreat). This film was done in 1967 in the Tatra Mountains. The copy of the film was submitted by Alex Bertulis of Seattle, who claims to spend roughly $10 000 for saving the last copy of the film. He also supposedly submitted this “unknown” film, as the director (Jerzy Surdel) was dead. This film won the main prize of the renowned festival and Alex Bertulis received the prize. This immediately raised stink in Polish climbing community for several reasons. For one Jerzy Surdel is not dead- he is alive and well and divides his time between Poland and Switzerland. Second “Odrwot” (Retreat) wasn’t so unknown, since it received one of the main prizes in Trento Film Festival in 1969. Since that time this film was shown during several more screenings throughout Europe. Even more surprising is the fact that Mr. Bertulis claims to spend large sum of money for saving one of the last copies of the film. This film can be purchased from Polish film archives in Warszawa for 2700 PLN (about 800 USD) for a copy in 35 mm version and for much less in 16 mm version and for about 60 USD for a DVD disc. Since this whole issue started representatives of Banff Film Festival were contacted by Jerzy Surdel and other members of the Polish climbing community. The response to put it mildly was rather meager. So far nobody issued any formal apology to Mr. Surdel for infringement of the copyrights, nor nobody compensated him for that matter. Also Mr. Bertulis did not comment on this whole issue either. Some of the people I talked to in the past few weeks and myself would like to find out what motivated him to take such course of action and why Banff Film Festival did not do their “due diligence” before this year’s show. I will try to update this story as it develops. P.S. Mr. Surdel was quite surprised when his email box was swamped with mail from people congratulating him the sucess of this film.

how about squamish?

if we stop by it would be most likely around 5-6, so we can make it to calgary for dinner. it's dark at 5, so most likely you'll be finishing up by 4 anyway, unless you want to walk in the dark

tell him to: 1. take a long walk on a short plank 2. start training 3.suck it up biatch many, many routes have a very long section between the bolts even in places like france. a space of 3-4 m between the bolts is a norm in most of the places i climbed in europe. typical example of over-bolting is new halem, where you clip the next bolt while the last one is at your waste. i also have mixed feelings about retro-bolting old lines, like some stuff at index, even though it was done by FA person (greg). in any case, that's just my opinion.

why so late? by then i'll be resting comfortably on a couch at rafal slawinski (calgary), watching "army of darkness" or episodes of lexx (space soft-porn). btw a lot of kannanaskis routeas are in. "Sans Bob"- it's a route in "first Blood" drainage, most to the left- marked as unclimbed. anyway- just a reminder- there is more to rockies then trophy wall and weeping wall. tatonka is in, so is buffalo's head- both high quality routes. trail is broken too. superbock is in, but thinner and so far very wet. guiness is thin, wet. this is a betta i had from locals. also don't forget about Protection Mountain- to the N. of castle mtn. high qulity mixed and long ice lines- 5 hrs approach though. and PLEASE- write which route you are going on on your rig (don't be an asshole).

rose and crown is the usual climber hang out.

Paul Hopkins 206.779.2997, that's who was working on me when i was in seattle area.