“BASE jumping kills people very quick,” says Jeb Corliss, professional BASE jumper. “It’s one of the few sports in the world where you make mistakes, you get killed.”
Documentary filmmaker Jens Hoffmann met the Norwegian freeskier Karina Hollekim in 2002 when she first became interested in BASE-jumping. He immediately started filming with the intent to follow her for a period of time in which he hoped to understand her addiction to such a sport.
Throughout the five-year filmmaking process, the director is able to capture a young woman as she opens up toward the camera, creating a view into life and mindset that is often misunderstood. Over the years, the film documents Karina through many stages of her BASE jumping career, from birth to sudden and tragic end.
20 seconds of joy traces the story of the athlete, past and present; but also explores the psychology behind life, death, risk and the confrontation of fear. It is an intimate portrait and a unique documentary in which reality is more captivating than any fictional script.
“I don’t want to die, I want to live. I’m pretty good at running away, and this is my escape!” This is how Karina Hollekim describes her dedication to BASE jumping. Documentary filmmaker Jens Hoffman first met the now 30-year-old Norwegian in 2002. He immediately started to film, accompanying her through many stages of her BASE-jumping career, until it comes to a sudden stop, changing all aspects of her life.
20 Seconds of Joy was screened for the first time in public recently. The occasion could not have been a better one, as the movie being chosen as a finalist of the Banff Mountain Film Festival this year, one of the most prestigious and respected festivals of this genre worldwide. Even though rumors were around and expectations for the movies were high, the reaction of the audience towards “20 Seconds of Joy” was described as absolutely unique in the past years of the festival by its staff members.
During the screening the director of the movie, Jens Hoffmann, was surprised by the sensitivity of the viewers, but as the last credit was disappearing from the silverscreen and the audio faded into mute, he was not the only one being confused by the silence in the big theatre. It took some seconds until the crowd exploded in applause and overwhelming cheers, like a wall of noise, and did not stop for a longtime. When the obviously touched presenter of the theatre came back on stage to guide the audience into the brake, applause rose again, giving 20 Seconds of Joy such a warm reaction, that it could not have been expected any bigger.
At the official award ceremony in the big Eric Harvie Theatre 20 Seconds of Joy was awarded as BEST FILM ON MOUNTAINSPORTS, the same award achieved by Fatima’s Hand last year. It was also chosen for the PEOPLE’S CHOICE as BEST MOVIE OF THE FESTIVAL, a highly credited award not chosen by the jury but by the audience. The movie achieved two of the most prestigious awards on mountain and adventure films in its first appearance ever.
