In August 2020, the news of the accident of Swiss polar explorer Konrad Steffen shook the public as well as the scientific community worldwide. Koni, as he was called by his friends, did not return to base camp, the "Swiss Camp", from a routine trip to a measuring station on the Greenland Ice Sheet. It is suspected that he fell into a crevasse covered by fresh snow during bad weather conditions. To this day, there is no trace of him.
Konrad Steffen was a pioneer and well-known for his significant research into the melting polar ice caused by global warming - for over 30 years.
Photographer and filmmaker Corina Gamma had known Koni Steffen for many years and also visited him at the "Swiss Camp" in Greenland. Their shared fascination for archaic snow and ice landscapes bonded them in close friendship.
In her cinema documentary, the director traces the life of Konrad Steffen; long-time colleagues, companions, friends and family, but also the director herself, take a very personal look at Koni's world of thought, his motivation and the perseverance that drove him to the limits and ultimately beyond on his research trips. Tragically, Koni's place of longing has now become his final resting place.
Der Eismann
Documentary film in post-production
Director and screenwriter
Corina Gamma
Production
tellfilm
Funding
Zürcher Filmstiftung
SRF Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen / SRG SSR
Swiss Polar Institut
UBS Kulturstiftung
Dätwyler Stiftung
Else von Sick Stiftung
Volkart Stiftung
Crowdfunding