30. Film Festival della Lessinia
Bosco Chiesanuova (Italia)
23 August - 1 September 2024

After crossing the eastern border of Iran, this documentary takes us to the secret heart of Afghanistan. The main stops along the route, travelled for the most part on skis, are the areas surrounding Herat in the valley of the Hari Rud Rover, the Bamyan region with the remains of the destroyed giant Buddhas, the city of Kabul, and the Wakhan Corridor, between the Pamirs and the Karakoram range. This is a human exploration of a country brought to its knees by decades of war and for months blocked by the cold and snow. Despite endless logistical, political and bureaucratic difficulties linked to safety, the filmmaker-travellers share and document the daily life of the inhabitants of the regions least exposed to the clashes between the Taliban and the Afghan army.

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  Mario Casella

  Mario Casella is an Alpine guide, journalist and writer. Since 1985 he has worked as a producer and documentary filmmaker for the Swiss television RSI as well as on independent productions, often with Fulvio Mariani. At the Film Festival della Lessinia they won the Lessinia D'Oro in 2008 with Grozny Dreaming, the prize from the public and the prize from the jury of inmates in 2012 with Vite tra i vulcani and participated in 2016 with Inverno afghano.
  

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  Fulvio Mariani

  Born in Chaux-de-Fonds in 1958, he is both a director and producer, and is passionate about Alpinism and photography. Since 1981 he has worked for the RSI, making films with the most world-renowned Alpinists. He often collaborated with Mario Casella. At the Film Festival della Lessinia, the two directors won the Lessinia D'Oro in 2008 with Grozny Dreaming, the prize from the public and prize from the jury of inmates in 2012 with Vite tra i vulcani and participated in 2016 with Inverno afghano.