“Infinite Storm”, Małgorzata Szmowska’s first American film, is a chilling and breathtaking expedition into one of the most dangerous mountain ranges in the world, where winds reach the speed of 300 km/h and the weather changes constantly. It is also a tale about forces of a different kind: of loss, risk, and the courage you need to make it through even the worst tumultuous times of your life. The main character in this thriller inspired by a true story is played by Hollywood star Naomi Watts.
The story was nail-biting, inspiring and ultimately uplifting, but what really grabbed my attention was this extraordinary woman, Pam Bales. She is an exceptional person who has courageously endured hardships most of us will never face,” said Małgorzata Szumowska in an interview for the international press. “At the beginning of the film, when Pam starts her hike, she walks in silence, like it’s a meditation. From the beginning I knew Naomi Watts was the right actress for this part” – she added.
“It’s not entirely a film about mountain climbing. And it’s not just a film about mountains. It’s a story about hope and suffering, but also about devastating loss. Małgorzata Szumowska’s ‘Infinite Storm’ has a very strong universal dimension” – notes the producer and head of ORKA Magdalena Zimecka.
“Tough weather conditions and the necessity to show people struggling with elements meant that we had to use a lot of visual effects, but we took care to make them seamless” – she adds.
The visual effects coordinator on the set of “Infinite Storm”
Poles formed the core of the “Infinite Storm” crew. The man in charge of special effects was Marek Subocz – an expert from the ORKA production studio. Sobacz was responsible for special effects in Jan P. Matuszyński’s series “Król” and the fairytale feel of Mariusz Palej’s “The Black Mill”.
“The role of a VFX supervisor on this kind of production is very interesting. The crew was a mixture of Slovenians, Serbians, Croats, Poles, and stars from the UK and the US. Establishing a rapport was only a matter of time. Being able to work with all these people was a wonderful experience – because that’s the key: working together” – says VFX supervisor Marek Subocz.
“During a pandemic, in hard to access locations and practically uncontrollable conditions, the only thing you could do was just get out of the way. To make sure you understand the vision for a given scene and then to let people do their job” – he adds. “It’s best not to bother the authors - just be accommodating and prepare as much as you can. If that’s even possible. Then the film’s authors can focus on the key elements – acting and cinematography. Without those, there’s no movie. VFX are just the cherry on top that helps them tell this incredible story” – notes Subocz.
The movie, which was shot in Slovenian mountains with additional cinematography done in Poland, was inspired by real events.
The biggest challenge faced by the crew of “Infinite Storm” turned out to be working during a pandemic: “COVID kept setting up traps for us. The peak of the pandemic happened right when we were shooting. This meant that we were working under tremendous pressure. There was practically no way to move around freely. Despite these adversities, our crew has done a spectacular job” – stresses producer Magda Zimecka.
An international co-production with an enormous polish component
It should be noted that Poles contributed significantly to this international co-production. Michał Englert was responsible for cinematography, Marcin Jachyra for sound, Karzyna Lewińska for costumes, Marek Subocz for visual effects, and Tomasz Krzemieniecki acted as stunt coordinator. The Polish side was also in charge of the entire post-production: Agata Cierniak and Jarosław Kamiński were on editing duties, while Szymon Kania did special effects.
“We were talking about this difficult project with international producers for a very long time, and they chose to go with ORKA due to our extensive experience in international co-productions and the quality of our post-production and special effects” – says producer Radosława Bardes.
The ORKA co-production is the first Polish movie in years to get such a wide American release
ORKA is one of the biggest production and post-production studios in Poland, specializing in VFX services, comprehensive image post-production and on-set supervision for feature films. The studio was involved in creating over 100 feature-length productions – among them titles such as Mauro Borrell’s “WarHunt”, the series “Portrety wojenne. Kobiety”, and feature films such as Iwona Siekierzyńska’s “The Amateurs” and Agnieszka Holland’s “Mr. Jones”.
The script for “Infinity Storm” was penned by Joshua Rollins. Its producers include: Naomi Watts (Jim Tart Films), Trudie Styler (Maven Screen Media), Dominika Kulczyk (dFlights) and the Polish ORKA Production Studio. “Infinite Storm” is distributed in the US by Bleeker Street, founded in 2014. International distribution is handled by Sony Pictures International.
About the film
“Infinite Storm”, Małgorzata Szmowska’s first American film, is a breathtaking and chilling expedition into one of the most dangerous mountain ranges in the world, where winds reach 300 km/h, and the weather changes constantly. It’s also a tale about forces of a different kind: loss, risk, courage that let you emerge from even the worst tumultuous times of your life. The main character in this thriller inspired by a true story is played by Hollywood star Naomi Watts.
The film’s protagonist, Pam Bales, goes on a solo trek up Mount Washington – the tallest peak in the unpredictable, wind-swept White Mountains in the American State of New Hampshire. The journey is her ritual, a way of dealing with traumatic memories. And it is precisely on the day she feels the weakest that she will have to show the greatest strength: someone will die unless she helps them. But if she decides to help, she might die herself. “Infinite Storm” places us squarely in the middle of a storm of extreme elements and emotions. It reminds us that beauty and horror are sometimes intrinsically linked, and life crises are as inescapable as sudden weather changes. The moving story of Pam Bales teaches us that we should face them and never give up.
“Infinite Storm”, with fantastic cinematography by Michał Englert, is another project from the artistic duo of Englert-Szumowska who have already given us “Never Gonna Snow Again” and “Body”. Their latest film explores moments of crisis, but also man’s relationship with nature. It is being compared to such tales of courage and hope as “The Revenant” or “Gravity”.
