The Rocket Man tells the tragic and fantastic story of South Tyrolean Max Valier, who became an international sensation in Germany by performing spectacular rocket tests during the 1920s. With a disregard for his own safety and despite strong resistance, Valier fought for the dream of reaching the vastness of space and died during a laboratory experiment at the age of 35. To mark what would have been Valier’s 125th birthday, filmmaker Thomas Hanifle embarks on a search for the marks left behind by Valier in this world. Was Max Valier an admirable visionary or a selfish fanatic who even paved the way for the Nazis to develop rocket technology?

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Max Valier: The Rocket Man | Thomas Hanifle | Italy

Director: Thomas Hanifle

DoP: Martin Rattini

Editor: Sebastian Longariva aea

Sound designer: Stefano Bernardi

Producer: Matthias Keitsch, Wilfried Gufler

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Genre: documentary

With the support of IDM Film Funding

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