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Giuseppe Marinoni documentary to make NY, LA debut

  • Ron 

First Run Features will release “MARINONI: The Fire in the Frame”, a new film by Canadian filmmaker Tony Girardin on April 1st in New York at Cinema Village and April 15th in Los Angeles at Laemmle Monica Film Center.

First Run Features will release”MARINONI: The Fire in the Frame” tells the story of cycling icon Giuseppe Marinoni, who found his calling when he transitioned from champion racer to master bike craftsman.

Born in Italy in 1937, Marinoni was a champion cyclist as a young man. In 1965, he was invited to Canada to participate in a race, and after meeting the love of his life, decided to stay in Canada for good, where he dominated competitive cycling for years.

When his racing career came to a natural end, Marinoni started tailoring fine steel bicycle frames from his shop in Montreal, Canada, where he has been perfecting his craft for over 40 years, earning him cult status in the world of cycling.

After years hunched over toxic fumes, Marinoni’s passion for building bikes almost killed him. Upon doctor’s orders, Marinoni has gotten back into peak physical shape, now averaging 250 miles a week on his bike. At age 75, once again feeling his competitive spirit, he attempts to beat the world hour record for his age group, all on a bike he built with his own hands almost 40 years ago.

Very few have actually known much about the eccentric man himself, until Montreal filmmaker Tony Girardin, determined to get Marinoni’s story on film, spent three years convincing Guiseppe to participate. Girardin recalls, “It was like luring a mythical creature from its den, and being lucky enough to have a camera on hand to capture it.”

MARINONI: The Fire in the Frame is a fascinating look at a craftsman who still works in the traditional and time honored trade of frame builder, but more importantly, it’s a story of passion and perseverance which confirms that every person’s reach can exceed their grasp, no matter their age.

The film also reveals the man-of-steel’s sensitive side when he reunites with one of Canada’s greatest cyclist, Jocelyn Lovell, whose career ended when he was hit by a truck and paralyzed during a training ride. Marinoni built Lovell’s Commonwealth Games record-setting track bike, and now that Lovell has returned it to him as a show of gratitude, decided that he would use this bike in his world record attempt.

The film follows Marinoni as he travels to Toronto to visit Jocelyn Lovell; incredibly, the first time the two men come face-to-face since Lovell’s accident, as well as to Italy through the build up to the ultimately successful record ride. We see a different man once Marinoni arrives back in his birth country, and in his hometown of Rovetta, where Girardin films him interacting with relatives and visiting local landmarks, including the cemetery where he contemplates leaving some of his ashes.

The film features other notables in the cycling world including Ernesto Colnago, Mario Rossin,Francesco Moser, Paolo Savoldelli, Attilio Rota and Giuseppe Guerini.

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