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Float

A glimpse into the lives of introverted competitors and their stunningly designed model airplanes. From cavernous underground salt mines to the world’s largest blimp hangars 'Float' enters the world of F1D pilots - revealing the challenges facing a newcomer to the competitive hobby and the history of this century-old lost art as it struggles to stay alive in modern society.

  • Phil Kibbe
    Director
  • Benjamin Saks
    Producer
  • Phil Kibbe
    Editor
  • Will Find
    Music
  • Shelby Siegel
    Consulting Editor
  • Michael Culyba
    Consulting Editor
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Genres:
    Sports, History, Competition, Science, Art, Aviation
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 10 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    January 31, 2018
  • Production Budget:
    87,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    Argentina, Japan, Romania, Serbia, United Kingdom, United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Phil Kibbe

Born in Ohio, Phillip Kibbe began working as an intern in 2006 at The Greater Cleveland Film Commission. From there he began working as a production assistant on commercials and independent films. After moving to New York City in 2011, Kibbe built a career shooting, directing and editing video content, and has been a member of the Brooklyn Film Collective since 2012. With experience ranging from corporate videos to social justice documentaries, Kibbe has been fully immersed in filmmaking as a full time freelancer in New York City for the past six years.

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Director Statement

Influenced by the many competition documentaries of the early 2010’s, our drive for creating "Float" has been rooted in a deep curiosity: The lives of the unique characters who participate in this sport, the F1D’s inherent beauty, and a desire to contrast modern culture with a sixty year old competition that requires patience and long standing commitment. "Float" explores the intriguing processes of F1D in a story that combines the practice’s development and contemporary cultural changes that threaten it with extinction.

The audience will find that the planes are just one element that binds this odd lot of enthusiasts together. The raw emotion that is felt as competitors invested countless hours, dollars, and travel into their sport with no monetary reward is equally as impressive as the planes. They are intensely competitive and their fervor does not parallel the tranquillity and beauty of their planes.

We feel, in many ways, F1D is antithetical to modern culture. It embodies passion, patience, and practice, whereas today’s mainstream culture can be characterized by instant gratification and short attention spans, increasingly driven by the pursuit of wealth and fame. Indoor is an activity with no financial gain, no entree to the spotlight of fame, but nonetheless the competitors’ drive and ambition prevail.