is another passion of Primož Jakopin. It started in high school, with the
acquisition of a Russian 2 x 8 mm camera Sport. Not much work was
done, however, films were expensive, there was no possibility to
record sound and no projector was at hand. Some scenes, of
schoolfriends dancing, were filmed on Korčula island during the high school graduation trip in the summer of 1967. Some time later he wrote a
screenplay for a 20-minute movie about cave explorations in Lanski
vrh. During the student years he worked part-time at the TV Slovenia,
undertitling movies, translated by his mother - it was done live, in
the evening, at the time the movie was broadcast. He was saving the earned money to
buy a Bolex 16 mm movie camera but the establishment of a new family in 1971 took priority
when the sum was almost there (2.700 DEM
collected, the price was 3.000). So the cineatic ideas were shelved for
two decades, until the nineties when, besides home scenes
a short film about a small cave
on the northern rim of Planinsko polje was also shot, with a Sony Super 8 mm
camcorder. Yet it was never completed, analogue editing equipment was
again not available.
After 2000 digital cinematography followed in the
footsteps of digital photography and the time has come for something
more serious. In 2004 he wrote a screenplay and a shooting script
for the first real caving feature film, Jama belega mačka / White Cat Cave.
It was filmed in the fall of 2005 and in the spring of 2006 with a
premiere in the Ljubljana Kolosej / Colloseum theatre in October 2006. Two pages are dedicated
to the movie, with descriptions in 10 languages and links to 41 YouTube instances:
In March 2012 a caving group from Bielsko Biała came by, to visit one of the most spectacular
Slovenian caves, Kačna jama / Snake Cave near Divača. It sports a
large, 180 m deep entrance pit, one of the world's deepest 150 years
ago, crater-like from above, which just, sort of, wants to
pull you inside when you come close. The organizer of the trip and
the leader of the group, Krzysiek Handzlik, contacted the author to
help handle the relevant inquiries on the spot and a documentary
movie followed, filmed in cooperation. There are 4 instances of it on
YouTube:
Kačna jama (Snake Cave) Entrance - full movie (80 minutes)
... a 30-minute, abridged version
... a 7-minute preview
... and a 1-minute excerpt
In the summer and early autumn of 2012 another film followed - Pod zemljo je lepo / Merry Go Round Underground.
It is a feature film (105 minutes) about a family trip to, where else,
the underground world of Carniolian karst, Slovenia,
a trip that leads to discovery of a new cave at the end of the labyrinth, and finally to
a connection to a large water cave.
The film introduces Tomaž Krajnc - Garmin as the caver Marc,
Gitica Jakopin as Teena, his niece, Jakob Jakopin as Yanni, his nephew,
Jerneja Slapnik Anžur as Betty, Teena's friend and
Maruša Jakopin as Mary, mother of Teena and Yanni. They were supported by
Igor Verstovšek, Lucija Perharič, Jožef Ropoša, Japec Jakopin and Majda Gričar, cavers
Herman Brvar, Jožek Košir - Cox, Gašper Košir, Stojan Sancin in
Claudio Bratoš, Sam Briscoe and Alexander Stelfox.
Mateja Slapnik Anžur, Marija Jakopin, Eva Verstovšek Jakopin, Matej Verstovšek Jakopin,
Jadran Jakopin, Metod di Batista, Blaž Bezek, Aleš Lajovic,
Primož Presetnik and Tea Knapič, Mitja and Katarina Prelovšek,
Andrej Drevenšek and Jana Stržinar also appeared in the movie.
Music was contributed by Vivien de Corse, Peter John Ross and Antonin Dvořak,
screenplay, direction and editing were done by Primož Jakopin, film
lighting by Robert Slapnik, Andreja Anžur and Mateja Slapnik Anžur, abyss technique
by Jožek Košir - Cox and Tomaž Krajnc. Cameramen were Primož Jakopin,
Japec Jakopin and Andreja Anžur. Cave train operator was Janez Dedek, cave train
escort Andraž Gorup. Boštjan Burger, Franjo Drole and Franci Malečkar
also contributed to the movie. Filmed in the summer and autumn 2012,
under the auspices of
Ljubljana Cave Exploration Society
- Društvo za raziskovanje jam Ljubljana - DZRJL and with participation of members from
Caving Section of
Slovenian Alpine Society Triest - Jamarski odsek Slovenskega planinskega društva Trst,
Caving Society Tornado - ŠD Tornado,
Karst Research Institute -
Inštitut za raziskovanje krasa,
Speleo Club Železničar -
Jamarski klub Železničar and
York University Cave & Pothole Club.
The movie was shot on locations in Slovenia and Croatia: in Iški Vintgar valley,
in the valley of Bohinj, in the Vrata valley, on the Sleme mountain,
at the Vršič mountain pass, in the Prekmurje plain, in Planinska dolina, in
Rakov Škocjan caving eldorado, in the village of Tacen, at the
Ljubljansko barje marsh, at Snežnik mountain, in the bay of Koper and
in the gulf of Kvarner.
There are 7 instances of the movie on YouTube, with
subtitles in 4 languages:
Merry Go Round Underground, a 10-minute summary,
Merry Go Round Underground / An Adventure Trip to Carniolian Caves, full movie - 105 minutes
Pod zemljo je lepo, 9-minutni povzetek (Slovenian),
2012 was a very prolific year, indeed. At the year's end
one more caving movie was made, titled "Trails in the Taino Country",
starring Adrian Lisardo, Gitica Jakopin, Yosahira Castillo and Francisca Ozuna:
It was filmed in the Dominican Republic, near the mouth of Yuma river. There are versions with titles
in the following languages, all are 30 minutes long: