On the occasion of the centenary of the establishment of the Italian Air Force, the Italian Cultural Institute in Los Angeles presents “I cacciatori del cielo”.

Part documentary part fiction, the film tells the compelling story of the birth of Italian aviation through the exploits of three men: Major Francesco Baracca (who would become the main ace of Italian aviation), Captain Ruggero Piccio (who would later become the first Chief of Staff of the Air Force), and Bartolomeo Piovesan, a simple mechanic from humble social background, who was in charge of the maintenance of Baracca’s plane.
They find themselves together at the Santa Caterina airfield near Udine, home of the first fighter plane unit. The setting in which they move is the tragic one of World War I, but theirs is first and foremost a story of friendship and big dreams. It is a story that intertwines their destinies, united by the same identical passion for flying, and that drives them to look beyond the events of war, imagining an aviation that, in the future, can be useful in improving people’s lives.

The film is co-produced by Anele with Luce Cinecittà in co-operation with Rai Documentari, with the patronage and participation of the Ministry of Defence, Air Force and Defence Services, and with the patronage of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, with the support of Intesa Sanpaolo, Aerea S.p.A. and Elettronica S.p.A., and with the contribution of Emilia-Romagna Film Commission, Visit Romagna, Comune di Lugo di Romagna, Consorzio In Bassa Romagna.
Giuseppe Fiorello interprets Francesco Baracca, the direction is by Mario Vitale.

Some scenes of the docu-film were shot in Lugo, Baracca’s hometown, in the Francesco Baracca Museum. Inaugurated in 1926 in memory of the ace of aviation and today housed in Francesco's birthplace, it is a particularly evocative place that hosts his SPAD VII S2489 fighter, as well as memorabilia, objects belonged to the hero and documents of the time.
In Lugo you can also admire the monument to Baracca which characterizes the main square, made by artist from Faenza Domenico Rambelli in 1936, and the family’s grave chapel in the monumental part of the city cemetery, designed in 1923 by another artist from Romagna, Roberto Sella.
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