Sun Valley Film Festival (February 28-March 3)
A film byKai Barry & Heather Parkinson Dermott
A creation story that captures the enigmatic life and death of a hot-air balloon, guided by a mathematician who revels in what he can learn on every flight.
The Film
Synopsis
The Balloonist documents flight as an ephemeral art. The film follows the birth, flight and return of a hot air balloon steered by its 73 year-old balloon captain, Roy Foot. For more than 2,500 flights, Roy has balanced the complexity and uncertainty of balloon flight, admitting he never knows where he’s going to land, but that may be just what fuels him. A mathematical mind, he wants everything to be perfect as he prepares for each flight. If the air doesn’t “feel or sound just right,” the hot-air balloon captain won’t let the balloon take to the sky. Roy has learned to guide his balloon through the ever changing wind currents. Like any protective artist, he’s careful with his creation. And from his creation he has learned the most important lessons of life.
As the balloon is filled with fire it flaps, folds and even starts to breathe. Finally, it bounces, comes to stand, lifts-off and flies, taking on a life of its own. A creation story, rather than a how to fly a hot-air balloon, The Balloonist teaches us about the careful balance of risk and joy and celebrates the wonder of being alive.
Directors’ Statement
We first spotted Roy Foot at the Spirit of Boise Balloon Classic in Boise, Idaho. The yellow vest, the hyper-focused eyes, and calm purposeful movement gave him the look of a sea-captain. We were drawn to hear the story of this fascinating character.
In hearing his story, it became clear that our main character was indelibly linked to the balloon. After thousands of flights, Roy still held the balloon and the way it moved on the wind with reverence and enthusiasm. For him, every flight created something new to discover. Each time he took to the air he learned something new.
This reverence for the process is what we wanted to capture on film. We wanted to do more than just tell the audience what it was like to fly a balloon. We wanted to put them into the process. We chose small cameras and a tiny crew so we could become a part of the crew. Over several days of filming, we became more and more familiar with the inflation and landing process. By working with the crew rather than just documenting them, we learned to anticipate their movements, allowing us to find the simplest and most beautiful way to capture the assembly, inflation, and the flight of the balloon.
We hope this little film places you into the miraculous process of turning eight hundred pounds of equipment into a lighter-than-air balloon that travels on the wind.
The Filmmakers
Kai
Kai's career has spanned engineering, entrepreneurship, filmmaking, and social cause work but he has always been passionate about story and its ability to motivate us: A great idea only motivates one person. To motivate a larger group, you must tell a great story.
Kai’s work in social entrepreneurship has included the founding of Young Barney Labs, a home for technological social innovation exploration, and the co-founding of the Mira Fellowship, an internationally recognized social innovation incubator that focuses on big compassionate visions and has birthed projects ranging from a circular industrial waste marketplace to a personal financial confidence collective to a venture fund for biodiversity.
As a filmmaker, Kai has written, produced, and directed award-winning films as well as written for some of Hollywood’s top directors and producers. Kai's films have been shown across the world and received glowing praise from the Huffington Post, Entertainment Weekly, Variety, and the New York Times. His most recent film, NEWCOMER, an art house spy thriller shot in Serbia, was selected for the prestigious honor of opening night film at the Raindance Film Festival and was nominated for best picture at the Austin Film Festival.
Kai began his career as an engineer in Silicon Valley building interfaces and building products for young startups and more established companies like TiVo And Timbuk2.
Kai received a BA in Product Design Engineering and a MSE in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University. He completed his study of film at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts.
Heather
Heather is a filmmaker, published author, and entrepreneur. She is the co-founder and founding executive director of Idaho Business for the Outdoors, a nonprofit connecting businesses across industries to support the preservation of Idaho’s outdoors and public lands.
Heather received her MFA at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts where she worked on a number of award winning short films and documentaries that screened internationally. She is also the published author of a historical fiction novel, ACROSS OPEN GROUND, set in Idaho during WWI that received distinguished praise in the the New York Times Book Review, Publisher’s Weekly, Kirkus Review, LA Times Book Review, among other. Heather also writes poetry and has a collection of published poems titled, TRANSACTIONS: INSTALLATIONS OF FAITH.
Through her filmmaking, writing, and advocacy work, Heather remains passionate about stories that reveal the complex interconnection between people and the natural world. She loves and finds herself drawn to stories that try to capture the compelling allure of isolation and beauty that accompany any search for meaning in the natural world.
