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River of Treasures

In the 17th century the Swedish army invaded Poland, looting priceless sculptures and decorations from the royal palace in Warsaw and beyond. The so-called “Swedish Deluge” is one reason that there is hardly any 17th-century architecture left in Warsaw today.

In "River of Treasures," filmmakers and explorers Marcin Jamkowski and Konstanty Kulik tell this story of this cultural invasion, and of an ambitious expedition launched in search of lost patrimony. It begins with archaeologist and art historian Dr. Hubert Kowalski and his discovery of 350-year-old letters between the King of Poland and the Mayor of Warsaw. The letters mention a ship laden with priceless marbles, lying somewhere deep underwater—where, exactly, no one knows.

The film takes viewers on the ten-year journey to locate these sunken treasures, from library archives and historic castles to the bottom of the Vistula River. It is a tale of power, greed, struggle and reconciliation—but also of science and reclaimed knowledge.

  • Marcin Jamkowski
    Director
    No One's Left Behind, Against The Sands of Time
  • Konstanty Kulik
    Director
    In Search of the Legend, Chernobyl VR
  • Marcin Jamkowski
    Writer
    No One's Left Behind, Against The Sands of Time
  • Dorota Roszkowska
    Producer
  • Hubert Kowalski
    Key Cast
  • Justyna Jasiewicz
    Key Cast
  • Marcin Jamkowski
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Animation, Documentary, Feature, Television
  • Genres:
    Science, Adventure, History, Outdoor, Expedition
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 13 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    February 7, 2018
  • Production Budget:
    300,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Poland
  • Country of Filming:
    Poland, Sweden
  • Language:
    English, Polish
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • The Explorers Club, World Premiere
    New York City
    United States
    March 14, 2018
    World Premiere
    Special Screening
  • Royal Castle, Warsaw, Polish Premiere
    Warsaw
    Poland
    April 26, 2018
    Polish Premiere
  • Zamosc Film Festival “Encounters with History”
    Zamość
    Poland
    August 18, 2018
    Audience Choice Award
  • Civilization and Media Art Festival “Mediatravel”
    Łódź
    Poland
    October 6, 2018
    Second Prize
  • International Historical and Military Film Festival
    Warsaw
    Poland
    October 22, 2018
    Honorary Mention for Documentary Film
  • International Festival of Archaeological Film
    Rovereto
    Italy
    October 1, 2019
    Official Selection
  • V. International Nature Film Festival
    Gödöllő
    Hungary
    May 25, 2019
    Official Selection
  • Archeological Films Festival
    Eugene
    United States
    April 1, 2020
    Official Selection
  • Arkhaios Cultural Heritage and Archaeology Film Festival
    Columbia
    United States
    October 1, 2020
    Honorable Mention for Best Underwater Archaeology Film
  • Icronos Festival International du Film d'Archéologie de Bordeaux
    Bordeaux
    France
    November 12, 2020
    Official Selection
  • Stockholm City Film Festival
    Stockholm
    Sweden
    December 10, 2020
    Swedish Premiere
    Official Selection
Distribution Information
  • Arkana Studio
    Country: Worldwide
    Rights: All Rights
  • Next Film
    Country: Poland
    Rights: All Rights
Director Biography - Marcin Jamkowski, Konstanty Kulik

Marcin Jamkowski is a filmmaker, photographer, writer, dedicated rock climber, and scuba diver. He is an Explorers Club Fellow and vice-chair of the Polish Chapter. Jamkowski formerly worked as editor-in-chief of National Geographic magazine in Poland, was a TEDx speaker, and Canon Ambassador. His focus is on covering expeditions, exploration, and popular-science topics.

Marcin is author of three books on exploration and history – about Nazi shipwrecks in the Baltic Sea, North-West Passage sail expedition, Vistula River treasure hunt – and two books for children on biggest explorers and famous inventors. His photographs were displayed on more than 10 photo exhibitions in Poland and UK. He shot climbing films in Mali and Madagascar, in 2010 filmed in Cambodia “No Man's Left Behind” – on the search of MIA from the last battle of the Vietnam War – and made two films for UNESCO. For the last nine years Marcin has been working with Konstanty Kulik on the “River of Treasures” – feature length documentary about the successful treasure hunt expedition and underwater discovery of the 17th century marble sculptures of the Polish king.

Konstanty Kulik is a pilot, sailor, and traveler. He was a member of the youngest crew in the world which sailed the legendary North-West Passage from west coast of Greenland through the waters of Canadian Arctic, the Bering Strait, and Alaska to Vancouver. His film from that expedition “In Search of a Legend” was screened at film festivals in China, Greece, Qatar, USA, Czech Republic, Island, Italy and Poland - winning awards for Best Director and the Best Film at the International Sport Film Festival in Palermo. His newest love is VR and he shot couple of films in this technology: "The Journey Back", "MS Pilsudski" and "Rural Stories".

Konstanty and Marcin met for the first time during North-West Passage expedition. Working together, and with the help of The Explorers Club Polish Chapter, they later produced two short films for UNESCO about Polish archaeologists' and art conservators' efforts around the world. After nine years of work, the duo’s newest film is the feature-length documentary, “River of Treasures.”

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