Touched by Water
Canada 2006. Director: Tamás Wormser
When filmmaker Tamás Wormser emigrated from Budapest to Montreal two decades ago, he moved from a culture where public bathing is part of the fabric of life to a country where the concept of public bathing is foreign. His culture shock inspired the extraordinary Touched by Water, “a documentary that dives into the lush world of bathing. From the holiest rituals to fashionable leisure, from ancient Roman baths and elite European spas, via Turkish hammams and ritual dips in the Ganges, to high-tech, modern swimming pools, the film looks at bathing cultures around the world and explores our essential bond with water, the sensual pleasure we derive from it as well as the spiritual renewal” (Montreal World Film Festival). “Shot in 13 countries over the course of 10 years, the exquisite Touched by Water is both an ode to the social ritual of public bathing and a thought-provoking look at water’s spiritual significance. From Christian baptism to Muslim prayer ablutions, most key ceremonial rites of passage involve water…Wormser is a gifted cinematographer. His footage immerses the viewer in a kaleidoscope of exotic water rituals” (Patricia Bailety, cbc.ca). 46 mins.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009 – 7:30pm
Freedom’s Fury
USA 2007. Director: Colin K. Gray
There was blood in the water, literally, when the water polo teams of Hungary and the Soviet Union met in the semi-finals of the 1956 Summer Olympic Games in Melbourne, Australia. The match, one of the most notorious and violent in any sport in Olympic history, took place just weeks after invading Soviet forces had crushed Hungary’s 1956 uprising against Soviet Communist domination. Tempers were running high and revenge was in the air, but it was below the waterline that many of the most vicious assaults were launched. As verbal taunts escalated into a battle royal of punching, kicking and gouging, even outraged spectators, most of them fervently pro-Hungarian, threatened to join the fray. Written and directed by Colin Gray, executive produced by Lucy Liu and Quentin Tarantino (who described the events as “the best untold story ever”) and narrated by Olympic champion swimmer Mark Spitz (who was once coached by Ervin Zádor, a central figure in the tale), this fascinating documentary uses a wealth of archival material to recount the extraordinary “Blood in the Water” match and its historical context. It also records a remarkable reunion, 50 years after the fact, of the surviving Hungarian and Soviet players. 90 mins
Wednesday, February 4, 2009 – 8:30pm
Freedom’s Fury had its Galla première at the National Gallery in Ottawa on September 29th 2006. This event was organized by the Canada Hungary Education Foundation as a 50th anniversary celebration to mark the anniversary of the 1956 Revolution. For more information about this event, click here.