Rosso 70, online the mountaineering, memories and life of the Scoiattoli di Cortina

11 years have passed since I directed Rosso 70, the film that recounts the story of the first 70 years of the Scoiattoli di Cortina mountaineering club. So many things have changed since then. Yet it seems like yesterday. It continues to be one of the most beautiful and memorable experiences I have ever had. I know, it may seem somewhat circumstantial and possibly even rhetorical. But it’s true: of those days spent in Cortina, up there below Tofane and the Cinque Torri, I have an intense, beautiful, almost poignant memory. Maybe because I was younger. Maybe because of the beauty of Cortina and her mountains. The atmosphere that was created on set. The air and light of those days. Those tales, those magnificent stories that, slowly, we were allowed to discover. Surely the friendliness, the enthusiasm and hospitality of the Scoiattoli played an important part, too. As did those never-empty glasses (and friends) always ready after each take, that tested our resilience. The fact of the matter is I still thank my lucky star for having allowed me to take part in this project. And I’d like to that all those involved. All the Scoiattoli, for wearing their hearts on their sleeves. Some of them, key players in this film and the history of mountaineering, not only the Dolomites, are no longer with us. Carletto Alverà, Luigi 'Bibi' Ghedina, Lino Lacedelli, Bortolo Pompanin, Almerina Buzzati and also the unforgettable "prince" Marco Da Pozzo. Candido Bellodis also bid farewell recently after having formed one of the most successful partnerships with Beniamino Franceschi. Their testimonies on an age of mountaineering and a life that no longer exists, lost forever, are still a fundamental, moving part of this film. Perhaps it is above all because of this that I am grateful to have taken part in this adventure. So as not to forget where we come from and who we were. To remember - in these particular times - that we owe gratitude and respect to those who came before us, our ancestors, and all the older generations. It is for this reason that the story of the Squirrels - which is a testament to mountaineering and friendships that continue for 80 years - is exemplary. Because it manages to put "veci e bocies”, oldies and youngsters, all together, bound by a shared love that that places humanity first.

ROSSO 70 - Stories and memories of 70 years of alpinism of the Scoiattoli di Cortina
by Francesco Mansutti, Vinicio Stefanello
Italy, 2009 / length: 78' / format 16/9

Film festivals: TrentoFilmfestival, Cervino CineMountain Festival, Zakopane Mountain Film Festival (Pol), Festival dei Festival Lugano (Ch), Banff Mountain Film Festival (Can), Bansko Film Festival (Jury Special Prize)

Synopsis: Like in a time machine the 70 years of the Scoiattoli di Cortina fly by. A thread which, starting in July 1939 when everything first began, unwinds following the emotions and memories of the protagonists. In this manner men and mountains, alpinism and life, happiness and pain follow one another, through the direct testimonies which intertwine with extraordinary archive films, with Cortina d’Ampezzo constantly in the background as it, too, slowly but surely transforms. Generations change. Alpinism and climbing change. Life too changes, time and time again, representing the eternal comparison between “youngsters” and “elders”. But there is something which unites past and present. The passion for the mountains, for climbing, for the Dolomites and their home town is stronger than anything else is. This sentiment has enabled the Scoiattoli to maintain their own identity and at the same time progress and experiment new horizons, so much so that they have become the true symbol of Cortina and her mountains.

Stories by: Luigi ‘Bibi’ Ghedina · Bortolo Pompanin · Carletto Alverà · Ugo Pompanin · Lino Lacedelli · Lorenzo Lorenzi · Carlo Gandini · Diego Valleferro · Bruno Pompanin Dimai · Franz Dallago · Stefano Dibona · Mario Lacedelli · Massimo Da Pozzo · Nadia Dimai · Luca Zardini · Stefano Dimai · Paolo Tassi · Antonia Franceschi · Almerina Buzzati

THANKS TO: CAI, Cineteca del CAI, Soccorso Alpino Cortina, Rifugio Scoiattoli, Andrea Gris, Alessandro Manaigo, Pietro De Bernardin, Giorgio Tomasi, Malga Pezié de Parù, Cortina Cube, Seggiovie 5 Torri, Hansi Tschurtschenthaler, Regole d’Ampezzo, Massimo Casagrande

Info: www.scoiattoli.org / info@scoiattoli.org