François Damilano

Acting

François Damilano

Born

1959-12-30 (66)

Place of birth

Le Mans - Sarthe - France

Known for

Acting

Credits

13 titles

François Damilano is a French mountaineer, mountain guide, writer and filmmaker, born December 30, 1959 at le Mans in France. He is known for his many ice climbing openings in the 1980s and 1990s. On May 9, 2008, after climbing Putha Hiunchuli, a 7,242m peak, he made the first solo ascent of a 6,182m virgin peak in the Dhaulagiri group. He named it in honor of Elizabeth Hawley, Pic Hawley. On May 25, 2014, he climbed Everest (8,850 m) via the north ridge. Hyperactive and gifted, François Damilano was the forerunner of ice climbing in the 1980s with his friend Godefroy Perroux. It was his way of stepping into the spotlight, he, the young boy from Le Mans, nourished by the stories of his eld…

Known for

Ice Up poster
10.0

Unique shapes, no two the same, formed by the action of water and frost. The water that once ran from the summits in torrents and waterfalls is immobilized for a few weeks. The thing is to be there, in time, just at the moment when they become solid, just before they return to water. A question of balance. Around seven top-level climbers who represent all the richness of the activity, these images will highlight different techniques and different approaches. Although the athletic performance is impressive, it is there only to emphasize the dazzling shapes, the warmth of friendships, the stories of teamwork.

Ice Up

2005

Generation Dry poster
10.0

It is a fact that our winters are less and less cold. Therefore it is harder and harder to get the conditions for ice-climbing. Fortunately, man adapts to his environment and makes progress: this is how dry-tooling was born. This movie will make you discover this discipline: its history, its evolution and the current practice. You will also see how much excitement dry tooling can bring. Dry-tooling now allows to free-climb some routes which were impossible to climb without aid in the past.

Generation Dry

2016

La Sorcière Blanche poster
10.0

In the austere "Horseshoe Cirque", attempts on ice are so impressive and require such a high degree of skill, that after a discrete beginning in 1976, there was a wait of twenty years before new pioneers dared the challenge. Each has returned, marked for life by the extraordinary experience. The opening of The White Witch in January, 2006 by Philippe Batoux, François Damilano and Benoît Robert was the occasion to revisit this emblematic site. Here is an exceptional panorama where incredible ice formations give way to challenging rocky climbs and vibrant testimonials...

La Sorcière Blanche

2007

Beyond Good and Evil poster
10.0

No synopsis available yet.

Beyond Good and Evil

2013

Sophie Lavaud, le dernier sommet poster
6.5

No synopsis available yet.

Sophie Lavaud, le dernier sommet

2025

Sophie Lavaud - The Final Summit poster
NR

There are fourteen. Fourteen 8,000-m peaks. The Himalayan giants, a world where the air is so thin no human can survive for more than a few hours. Having already scaled thirteen of the Earth’s highest mountains, Sophie Lavaud is just one peak away from the Himalayan grand slam. Will she achieve her goal?

Sophie Lavaud - The Final Summit

2026

Film credits

2000s · 3 titles

Behind the camera

Ice Up poster
10.0

Unique shapes, no two the same, formed by the action of water and frost. The water that once ran from the summits in torrents and waterfalls is immobilized for a few weeks. The thing is to be there, in time, just at the moment when they become solid, just before they return to water. A question of balance. Around seven top-level climbers who represent all the richness of the activity, these images will highlight different techniques and different approaches. Although the athletic performance is impressive, it is there only to emphasize the dazzling shapes, the warmth of friendships, the stories of teamwork.

Ice Up

2005

La Sorcière Blanche poster
10.0

In the austere "Horseshoe Cirque", attempts on ice are so impressive and require such a high degree of skill, that after a discrete beginning in 1976, there was a wait of twenty years before new pioneers dared the challenge. Each has returned, marked for life by the extraordinary experience. The opening of The White Witch in January, 2006 by Philippe Batoux, François Damilano and Benoît Robert was the occasion to revisit this emblematic site. Here is an exceptional panorama where incredible ice formations give way to challenging rocky climbs and vibrant testimonials...

La Sorcière Blanche

2007

La Sorcière Blanche poster
10.0

In the austere "Horseshoe Cirque", attempts on ice are so impressive and require such a high degree of skill, that after a discrete beginning in 1976, there was a wait of twenty years before new pioneers dared the challenge. Each has returned, marked for life by the extraordinary experience. The opening of The White Witch in January, 2006 by Philippe Batoux, François Damilano and Benoît Robert was the occasion to revisit this emblematic site. Here is an exceptional panorama where incredible ice formations give way to challenging rocky climbs and vibrant testimonials...

La Sorcière Blanche

2007

Sophie Lavaud, le dernier sommet poster
6.5

No synopsis available yet.

Sophie Lavaud, le dernier sommet

2025

Sophie Lavaud, le dernier sommet poster
6.5

No synopsis available yet.

Sophie Lavaud, le dernier sommet

2025

Sophie Lavaud - The Final Summit poster
NR

There are fourteen. Fourteen 8,000-m peaks. The Himalayan giants, a world where the air is so thin no human can survive for more than a few hours. Having already scaled thirteen of the Earth’s highest mountains, Sophie Lavaud is just one peak away from the Himalayan grand slam. Will she achieve her goal?

Sophie Lavaud - The Final Summit

2026

Sophie Lavaud - The Final Summit poster
NR

There are fourteen. Fourteen 8,000-m peaks. The Himalayan giants, a world where the air is so thin no human can survive for more than a few hours. Having already scaled thirteen of the Earth’s highest mountains, Sophie Lavaud is just one peak away from the Himalayan grand slam. Will she achieve her goal?

Sophie Lavaud - The Final Summit

2026