Visoko - Flying High

Visoko - Flying High tells of euphoric plans for the future in a region of Europe where globalisation is only just starting to take effect. The newly discovered pyramids fulfil multiple functions: they act as a beacon of hope, a source of inspiration and not least of all as an important economic catalyst.

The film's visual style mirrors the manner in which the filmmakers and the protagonists of the story respond to the Bosnian pyramids: sometimes insecure, wobbly, and erratic, sometimes decisive, assertive and brave. The pyramids cast a spell over the valley and all those involved begin to draw their strength and inspiration from the mysterious hills that surround them.

It is certainly well known that the lack of money can be an inspiring force for creativity. If you agree with this statement, then you can be sure that our project's level of charm has been very high throughout. High is a core word that describes it best: We were highly motivated, highly interested and, not least of all, highly overspent when we decided to get involved in the film adventure at the heights of Visoko : which, by the way, literally translated means high. The only thing that wasn't high was our production budget. Nevertheless our fascination for the magical malange of something that is both familiar and exotic at the same time, mixed with the mystery of a hypothesis that puts a smile on your face, provided the essential drive for this documentary project.

Fortune teller, musician, pensioner, peasant, film director, geologist, economic commissioner, travel agent, TV host, actor, restaurant owner, shop owner, souvenir seller, businessman? We had them all! In a unique and authentic way they became our "film stars". Driven by an enormous force to look toward the future positively -not to mention humorously and self-ironically- they told us of their expectations for what is currently the most famous beacon of hope in the country: the pyramidal heights that, according to their discoverer Semir Osmanagic, could well be the oldest of their kind in the world!

When we arrived we were overloaded with all kinds of information concerning the mysterious hills. Gradually the information started to sort itself out and make more and more sense. In the eyes of Visoko's inhabitants, the notion of the newly discovered pyramids turned out to be a symbol of the country's escape out of the post-war depression and started to function on many different levels:
- As a symbol of a much longed for improvement in the weak economic situation, "the tip of the iceberg", as the German economic commissioner for the reconstruction of the country Peter Buerger puts it, with the potential to "attract a lot of people and trigger all the projects: better roads, better hotels, better food etc.".
- As a source of inspiration for creative ideas, in the field of music for example, where the witty song "Grab the Shovel" by the winner of the country's singing talent contest, Dr. Zo, emerged: "It's about all the good things the discovery of the pyramids brought with it. It tells the story of the Bosnian people who emigrated, and that there is no longer any reason for it, because better times are coming now. We all see a kind of light at the end of the tunnel. There is finally something good happening also to Bosnia and Herzegovina."
- As an escape from the rigid, war-torn and "backward" image that is associated with Bosnia throughout the world. The Bosnian diaspora recognized the potential this has for them personally, as well. They are getting involved in the pyramid project because, for them, it is a way to escape from this image. Jennie Fazlic, a travel agent of Bosnian origin living in Sweden puts it this way: "Normally, when you say you're from Bosnia people mostly think of war. Now, we are acquiring a trace of hope as well as projecting a different kind of image to the outside world." Together with her father, Himzo Fazlic, and the Bosnian Pyramid of the Sun Foundation she works on the project that should attract more visitors to the country.

The documentary Visoko - Flying High is told from a very personal point of view. Rather than making a piece of nationalist propaganda expressed through the emerging religious symbols of "we must not forget", thus maintaining the fear of contact amongst people, this documentary concentrates on something no one ever expected -the possible discovery of the first European pyramids, the Bosnian pyramids - and its creative consequences. The lack of money also functions here as an important source of creativity enabling high flights of imagination.

I.H.