Born in Dresden in 1936, Lothar Brandler was a singular figure who succeeded in expressing his passion for the mountains first as an extreme climber and subsequently in the role of film director. Having started climbing cliffs and vertical rock faces at the age of just 11, in 1958 he opened the famous “Direttissima” on the north face of the Grande di Lavaredo. In subsequent years it was the turn of other important feats such as ascent of the Roda de Vael, the north face of the Eiger and that of the Grandes Jorasses. As a director he made 130 documentaries and three full-length films: he won no less than three prizes at Trento Film Festival, in 1964, 1967 and 1974, also receiving other precious awards.