When a local short film about a one-legged athlete debuted at the NEPSA Awards in Aspen this spring, it was a hit among the audience and judges alike. “2 Legs is 2 Easy” won the contest in March, and now, it’s heading to the 5Point Adventure Film Festival in Carbondale.
The film’s star, Steve Karczewski, has turned into something of a local celebrity after the premiere. But filmmaker Tamara Susa said he was already a known entity around town.
“Everyone knows Steve, right? Like, everyone sees him on the mountain,” Susa said in a joint Zoom interview with Karczewski. “And I think people love finally getting to see his story.”
Susa has been working on this film with Karczewski for almost seven years; she said the project took so long to wrap because the duo kept finding more opportunities to film on the mountain. It started as a 90-second video about an amputee who loves to hike and mountain bike, and evolved into a mini-documentary that focuses on Karczewski’s life and philosophy, with plenty of epic skiing and biking footage.
Karczewski said he wants his athleticism to speak for itself, but there’s a message behind this film, too.
“Whether you've had … cancer that changed your life and took your leg, or you're dealing with mental (health) issues, you're dealing with just something personal, the mountains kind of help you kind of cope with that and help you move your life in a positive way,” he said.
“2 Legs is 2 Easy” will screen at the Crystal Theatre in Carbondale on Wednesday night for a “community film program” at 5Point. The lineup also includes films about Indigenous kayakers, the oldest running team in the United States, and a historic salmon fishing club, among other films.
