site.btaAdventurers Carry Their Knowledge of the World - Explorer Alex Bellini, Official Guest of Bansko Film Fest

The explorers, the adventurers, are the ones who, by exploring and understanding the world, bring it to other people, make them understand and think about climate change and focus attention on it, Italian traveller and explorer Alex Bellini, who is among the official guests of Bansko Film Fest 2024, said in an interview for BTA.

Among Alex Bellini's remarkable achievements is the crossing of the Atlantic Ocean from Genoa, Italy, to Fortaleza, Brazil, a journey of 11,000 kilometres completed in 227 days. Bellini crossed the United States by running from Los Angeles to New York in 70 days, finishing fourth among other marathon runners. In 2019, he participated in the 10 Rivers 1 Ocean project, with the goal of crossing the ten most plastic-polluted rivers in the world. His expeditions have taken him to some of the most spectacular corners of the world, according to the festival organizers. Among his projects is Eyes on Ice, an initiative focused on climate change and polar regions, and the team focuses on three main areas - Alaska, Greenland and the Arctic Ocean. 

Bellini told BTA that from the age of seven or eight he had his father draw maps on the paths around their home. He shared that he used to pretend to be lost in the woods because of the feeling of finding himself with the help of a map. He said he inherited his adventurous spirit from his father, who passed on to Alex a love of the unknown and unusual.

The following is the interview: 

The Eyes on Ice initiative has been described as one of your most remarkable initiatives, how did it start?

Eyes on Ice is an event that, with three expeditions being done in succession, aims to focus attention on climate change and how local communities are affected by it.

The project began in 2024 and will continue for the next two years, 2025 and 2026. For me it is a passage, in the beginning I was trying, through the expeditions I was doing, to know myself, to go inwards, to explore my limits. Gradually, in 2017, I turned my attention now to global issues, to what is happening from the inside out. The project began in 2024, and it was actually a bicycle ride through Alaska. I, along with my partner, created bicycles made entirely out of plastic. With the help of a 3D printer, we constructed these bicycles that we rode from Anchorage in southern Alaska to the town of Nome. I was in Alaska 22 years ago, and that was my first adventure, my first expedition. It was very exciting for me to come back 22 years later and see what had happened. 

How has Alaska changed in those 22 years?

The changes I have seen are actually in two directions. From a social standpoint, Alaska seemed much poorer to me than it was 22 years ago, with more and more people out of work and homeless and filling the streets, basically sleeping rough. The settlements I know as vibrant villages are getting smaller and poorer. 

In terms of climate I encountered much more extreme conditions, for a few days there were big frosts followed by periods of again few days of warmer weather. That is, for a few days the temperatures reached -40C, and the following days they happened to reach +5C. There was much more snow, but the rivers that connect the settlements had increasingly thinning ice. It is a big problem for this part because the thinning ice does not allow the connection between the settlements to take place. Neither dog sleds nor trucks can pass, nor do they allow hunters to move freely. This is particularly important for these settlements because, in addition to providing a link between them, it provides a livelihood. 

In Bulgaria we say, "Know your homeland in order to grow to love it", can we take that to the world and by getting to know the world, do you grow to love it more?

I completely agree with these words, and this completely applies to my attitude towards the world, because by knowing it I understand it, and by understanding it I can love it. Thus it is also helped, because you cannot help something you do not love, understand and, moreover, know. In fact, it is really the explorers, the travelers, the adventurers who, by knowing and understanding the world, bring that to other people, make them understand and think about, both the changes that are happening in the climate and, back home, they spread those themes and focus attention on them. 

Where do you feel better - in the sea, in the snow, in the mountains?

It's different and it changes. In the water I feel very good and actually in the water I matured, it brought me maturity. With the experience I gained, I reached a certain level. However, I am a mountain man, I was born in the mountains and I also have a passion for the land, the dry land, so things change depending on the period, what I am doing. Also the air, because I'm also a hot air balloon pilot. 

The director of Bansko Film Fest said that he has been looking forward to your visit here for ten years. How do you feel in Bulgaria and at the Bansko Film Festival?

My impressions are exceptionally positive, especially for people like me, whose work involves long periods of solitude, of detachment from everything. Events like this festival are actually a very good thing, because they allow us, on the one hand, to make new connections, on the other hand, to meet people with whom we are similar in some way and who are interested in the same things.