Splendido Mare, A Belmond Hotel, Portofino presents Cinema in Blu 2023 with the press preview of the docufilm “Con l’Aiuto di Dio”

24 MAY 2023 - After the success of the 2022 edition, Cinema in Blu returns, for an evocative evening of great cinema under the stars. Overlooking the magnificent bay of Portofino, the silver screen is back in the Piazzetta on 26 June. Once again, Splendido & Splendido Mare will be celebrating what the natural stage of Portofino has represented and continues to represent for cinema, with the press preview of the extraordinary docufilm “Con l’Aiuto di Dio” (With the Help of God), produced by Flying Donkeys Productions, with the participation and contribution of the title sponsors, Splendido & Splendido Mare.

A former sailor, now at the venerable age of 93, is building an 18-metre ark with nothing more than the strength of his own two arms. It’s no surprise that his name is Moses, Mosè Bordero. For about 10 years now, this new Noah has been getting up early, having breakfast and going to work at the boatyard on his Leudo, a typical vessel of this region, which was used until the beginning of the 1900s to transport goods all around the Mediterranean. It is a titanic undertaking, which, after initial general scepticism, has finally captured the hearts of his community of Casarza Ligure, a small town in Tigullio.

The name of his boat, “Con l’Aiuto di Dio” is also the title of the new film directed by the Ligurian director, Nicola Bozzo: an extraordinary testament to determination, resilience and courage, which, through the voice of the protagonist, follows the stages of the titanic undertaking of a man, born on the sea shore, who at 93 is following his dream to finish building the largest Leudo that has ever sailed the seas.

In addition to the Leudo, Mosè also built the boatyard itself, and whoever has the chance to visit it, under the close guidance of the owner, is left spellbound by the enthusiasm with which this modern-day hero describes his creature and its genesis, with a wealth of details and forgotten tales of a life sailing the seven seas, from the sun-drenched coasts of the East to the icy waters of the Atlantic. His work has attracted the attention of international marine engineers, who periodically visit the Leudo to try and understand how a single person, let alone a man over 90 years of age, was able to bend the stout ribs that make up the vessel’s keel, and allow them swivel. This type of work is done nowadays with modern machines in specialised shipyards.

“Making this documentary has been an extraordinary experience, both professionally and humanly,” commented Nicola Bozzo, the director from Chiavari. “In my work, the spectator’s eye is the tool I use to interpret a story. This way, I found myself first as a witness of Mosè’s astonishing work and I had the honour of being able to portray it. His capacity to never give up makes the telling of this story both compelling and stimulating. Through his undertaking, we come to know a world that exists no longer and for which we have an unconscious nostalgia. Moreover, much of the film is set in the areas where I was born and grew up.”

“Mosè’s story is one that must be told,” stated Michela Nicosia, Splendido Mare’s Hotel Manager. “When we discovered this person who, all by himself, at over 90 years of age, is building a 22-metre boat just a few kilometres from our hotels, we immediately fell in love with the project and we are proud to have contributed to the production of the docufilm that will share the story of Mosè and the Ligurian Leudo tradition with the world. It is an extraordinary message of courage, resilience, and brazen optimism; values that today, more than ever, we are happy to spread, as well as a story that perfectly aligns with the Belmond commitment to promote tradition and local cultural heritage.”

The dream now is for Mosè to live to see the day when the Leudo takes to the waves, perhaps with the help of the institutions that have already taken this story to heart, with its lesson (especially for younger generations) that however large or ambitious, no challenge can resist an iron will.

The trailer for “Con l’Aiuto di Dio” is available here.

The pictures of Mosè Bordero at the Leudo boatyard and the docufilm poster are available here.

The images of Splendido Mare, A Belmond Hotel, Portofino are available here