Stranded, The Documentary

Two years ago, Gonzalo Arijón, a Uruguayan film maker, asked me to participate in a new documentary. As I had always done, I turned him down because I thought nothing more could be said about our odyssey. He insisted, so I asked my brothers and my children what they thought about it. To my surprise, they all wanted to hear my testimony. I had been silent for so long.!

So, I participated in Arijon´s documentary, and actually I enjoyed doing it. And participating in this documentary was one of the events that made me abandon my stubborn rejection to share my mountain with others.

When I finally saw an advance of the documentary, I didn´t like it that much. I thought it was a little boring, rather long, and technically weak. On top of that, my participation in the film is very small indeed. Arijón insisted with his work, he fought hard to deliver it, he ran out of cash and his sponsors were uneasy. I thought he was not going to make it.

But now, Chapeau!!!!! Stranded won the Joris Ivnes Award at the International Documentary Film Festival at Amsterdam and is being presented at the Sundance Film Festival these days with chances of winning a new award. What an accomplishment!!.

To be honest, I didn´t have faith in Arijón´s film success. I recognize my mistake and now I strongly congratulate Arijón and all those who believed in his film from the onset. The Joris Ivnes Award is already a tremendous recognition and he is just starting his road show.

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