Martin Strel, who swam 5,268 km (3,274 miles) in the Amazon River in 66 days in 2007, is now captivating audiences at the famous Sundance Festival in Park City, Utah.Martin faced crocodiles, piranhas and anacondas in his epic swim of the Amazon. Let’s see if his Big River Man movie, directed by John Maringouin and competing in the World Cinema Documentary Competition, can face down movie critics and impress film distributors.
The 54-year-old Slovenian wanted to draw attention to the polluted waters around the globe and told AFP, "This film is like art. It can stand forever for all the generations. This film is not a story about my power, my mission. This film is important for this world because now it's important. It's an inspiration for all the generations."
In words that the global open water swimming community can greatly appreciate, Martin continues, "People ask me, 'how it's possible to prepare body for so long swim?' You can't prepare body for so long swimming. You have to train a lot, you must be fit, very healthy. Teamwork is important. Then keep going. Tired or not tired, keep going. Ill or not ill, keep going. You have to go every day."Let's hope the 94-minute film is picked up by worldwide film distributors.
Middle photo of Martin with his son and swim coordinator taken by AFP.
Copyright © 2009 by World Open Water Swimming Association
