The new BASE Movie has recently been released in UK cinemas, a project which we are very proud to have been a part of. Directed by Richard Parry and Produced by Michael Ford of Infinite Wisdom Studios and Executive Produced by Allan Niblo and James Richardson of Vertigo Films, BASE stars Italian-Norwegian Alexander Polli, famed for his hit YouTube viral video ‘Batman Cave Jump’ in Montserrat, Spain, and blurs the lines between fact and fiction to breath-taking effect. The iconic cave fly-through has so far racked up in excess of 14.6 million hits online for the rock-and-roll wingsuit pilot who became a pioneer in the sport, becoming the first proximity flyer to successfully strike a fixed target. Polli sadly died shortly after making the film last year in the French Alps, aged 31 in a devastating wingsuit accident in Chamonix in August 2016.
JC (Alexander Polli) is a B.A.S.E. jumper, a global playboy who lives his life quite literally on the edge, pursuing man’s greatest dream – to fly. When a jump goes wrong, that dream is violently shattered. Haunted by the event, JC is drawn to his best friend’s lover, ASH (Julie Dray), as he pushes himself harder than ever before – flying lower, closer, faster and recording every moment on film. Soon JC’s dark descent threatens not only his own life but the lives of all those around him. ‘BASE’ follows a man over the edge and watches him fall.
B.A.S.E. jumping and proximity flying has exploded in the last 10 years with the growing popularity of YouTube, and other video sharing websites, on which participants continue to push the boundaries of what is possible, attempting to become true pioneers of the sport.
B.A.S.E. jumping however, is not a new sport, it has been around for decades and has successfully achieved iconic status as a result of its appearances in major motion pictures over the last 40 years including: Batman Begins, Lara Croft Tomb Raider, Star Trek, Transformers: Dark of the Moon and the London Olympics 2012 base jump stunt which doubled for Daniel Craig and HRM The Queen. BASE (2017) maintains this tradition of ground-breaking cinema as the first full-length feature film to explore the world of B.A.S.E. and fuse it with narrative fiction.
Director Richard Parry said: ‘BASE’ is a film about a man who throws himself off the edge and into the void, a man who thunders down precipices at 250 km/h, inches from death. It’s also about the need to be different, the desire to experience life to the full and the willingness to reconcile the dangers in pursuit of that life.
I loved the idea of a unique film set in the globetrotting world of B.A.S.E., focused around these characters whose lives are self-immortalised on camera for the briefest moments. I was immediately drawn to the material and excited by the challenge: To keep the rawness of the jumps and yet craft an engaging story at its heart. To maintain the edge and believability and still make an original, exciting and cohesive movie. “Was that real?” has proven a common refrain amongst test audiences to date. It’s a reaction that makes me think we ultimately found the balance we were looking for.”
You can watch the BASE movie in UK cinemas via Ourscreen now and is available Worldwide on iTunes and On Demand from today #BASEMovie
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