ARRI soars to new heights to support friendship among nations
500 meters off the ground, a couple of brave athletes, a twenty-some person crew, and ARRI equipment participated in the launch of the Deutschlandjahr in 2018: a year-long nationwide festival celebrating Germany’s close friendship to the United States.
High above sacred Navajo land in Monument Valley U.S.A., suspended between two patriotic hot air balloons, a group of German slacklining filmmakers was able to pull off a stunning and symbolic feat. This balancing act was commissioned by the German Embassy and chosen to be one of six launch events commemorating the opening of the current Year of German-American Friendship or Deutschlandjahr 2018/19: a year-long celebration showcasing more than 1,000 events from more than 200 partners in all 50 United States. Under the motto “Wunderbar Together” the Deutschlandjahr 2018/19 is a comprehensive and collaborative initiative funded by the German Federal Foreign Office, implemented by the Goethe-Institut, and supported by the Federation of German Industries (BDI).
The young slackliners of One Inch Dreams caught the attention of the German Embassy back in 2013 and were encouraged to submit a proposal for the Deutschlandjahr 2018/19, hosted in the United States. Now a small creative agency, One Inch Dreams was struck with the idea to combine their tested skills at slacklining with a spectacular and symbolic stunt. By stringing a slackline between two hot air balloons, representing Germany and the United States, the group wanted to produce a movable balancing act between two nations.
“These nations are separate but connected by a thin line; it is with this idea that #buildingbridges was born,” recalls director, Johannes Olszewski. Balancing across this thin line is a challenge but rewarding as Olszewski further explains, “We saw the slackline as a bridge. The bridge is very high and very narrow and dangerous to walk across. However, the person who dares to walk across it does not fall; he succeeds and is able to make the connection. This bridge is symbolic and, in many ways, represents the current political relationship between Germany and America.”