“I Call, No One Answers.” Full House at the Splendor: Demichelis and Baudino Tell the Story of Elva

Submitted by rbeltram on Thu, 06/11/2025 - 18:24

Turin, 6 November 2025 – More than 350 people filled the Cinema Splendor, Chieri (TO), yesterday evening for the double screening of I Call, No One Answers. Elva, the Mountain, a Mountaineer, the documentary film by journalist–director Davide Demichelis dedicated to the voice and places of Franco Baudino.The event was promoted by the Camminare lentamente Association together with the Chieri section of the Italian Alpine Club (CAI) and is part of the collaboration between the Association and the Department of Management (Contact person: Riccardo Beltramo, UNITA antenna) on sustainable tourism.

Both the director and the protagonist were in attendance for a post-screening discussion with the audience.

The film

Shot over the course of the seasons along the trails of the High Maira Valley, the documentary follows Baudino as he weaves together personal and collective memory: the cavié (hair collectors), Mount Pelvo, the Gardetta plateau, Elva’s hamlets and the fragile Vallone road. The film – 2021, 56 minutes – offers a portrait of a lived-in mountain world, far from glossy postcards. A slightly shortened version, broadcast by Geo&Geo, is available here

Who is Franco Baudino

Born in Elva (Cuneo) in 1948, Baudino calls himself a “mountain dweller by choice.” He served as Mayor of Elva from 1985 to 1990 and has long been one of the most passionate custodians of local history: clearing paths, passing on the language, and turning photographs and memories into books. Among his best-known titles (with Alberto Bersani) are volumes on the hair collectors and on community memories, up to the recent Grinour.

The film brings back to the fore the trades and knowledge that have shaped Elva’s identity, but above all it calls attention to the sense of community and to the work carried out to maintain the territory and the infrastructure essential to livelihoods (water-supply channels) and mobility (paths, mule tracks, and roads)

The fragility of the Vallone road

One of the most sensitive topics for the community is the SP 104 Vallone road, a daring route carved into the rock. For safety reasons, since 2018 the first kilometres have been closed to vehicles and pedestrians. The closure—ordered by the Province of Cuneo after a major rockfall—has altered the habits of residents and visitors alike, and it returns frequently in the testimonies gathered by the film.

Who is Davide Demichelis

Davide Demichelis is a Turin-based journalist and documentary filmmaker, author and director of reportage for RAI and international broadcasters.
He has created programmes such as “Radici” and has served as a correspondent for “Kilimangiaro” and “Geo,” reporting on travel, migration, the environment, and cultures around the world.

From the theatre

The conversation with Demichelis and Baudino touched on the everyday care of the mountains, the future of highlands communities, and the role of local people in transmitting memory. The audience—families, hikers, students, cultural practitioners—showed steady attention, confirming interest in a story that brings together landscape, history, language, and work.