Sport-heute: Sailing - 20 Seconds of You

31. Oktober 2009, 22:13

20 Seconds of You - Karina Hollekim

Story by Karina Hollekin

One of extreme sports’ most endearing personalities has just completed one of the toughest projects in her life but now she, like the rest of the world, can sit back, relax and take in a portrait of her life on film.

Brüttisellen, 30.10.09 (mk) “20 seconds of joy” is the culmination of five years of drama, emotion, tragedy and euphoria, tied to the life of B.A.S.E. jumper and freeskiing legend Karina Hollekim. The 31-year-old Norwegian is only recently on her feet again after a near-death experience at the 2006 Red Bull Vertigo. The film, “20 seconds of joy” captures all the build-up, the horror and the heartbreak of Karina’s dice with death, along with a liberal sprinkling of the trials and tribulations she has encountered through her spectacular young life.

“This film is about giving people from all walks of life an insight into the life and mind of an extreme sportsperson,” Karina says. “It’s about trying to show the public what is behind someone who chooses to jump off a cliff. The film also goes a long way to illustrating the beauty of my sport and explaining how dangerous it is. It illustrates the risks and above all, it makes a statement about it being a lifestyle choice.”

This is definitely not a B.A.S.E. jumping movie. It’s a documentary about one person’s journey. It is about not fitting into the norm of everyday life, and the search for happiness. And it’s also about taking the consequences for what such a lifestyle might do to you.

“I was worried about people not knowing how much I love this sport but when you look at my face and you see my hands and arms shaking, you understand. It’s very personal, so it’s a bit scary showing your personal side - but its well worth it.”

A hit with the fans
Some people think that the exponents of extreme sports sleep upside down and digest egg whites for fun. “20 seconds of joy” sets the record straight. It gives the audience a unique glimpse of a life most will only view with amazement, and from a safe distance. It is also a very personal look into the psyche of one of extreme sport’s most glamorous superstars.

Living on the edge brings with it the logical consequences, but it is testament to Karina’s courage and skill that she has become one of the world’s most popular exponents of her chosen extreme sports. The initial reaction to the film has been heartening. “20 seconds of joy” is already a double-award winner at the Banff Mountain Film Festival and has struck a chord with a huge cross section of the general public. Pensioners, teenagers and parents have been watching in amazement as they experience vicariously just what is needed to be one of the best in the business of B.A.S.E. jumping and extreme sport.

“The reaction has been too good to be true,” Karina admitted. “It’s not every day that you make a one-hour documentary about yourself. It was very interesting to see if my life, and how I live it, is interesting to other people.”

“When I saw the movie for the first time I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. It took me four or five minutes before I could sort out my feelings. Then I felt proud and honored. It has given me the opportunity to inspire people and for people to live their dreams and take a road less traveled. I find this very rewarding.”

The project that grew with the film
It started out as a “small” project in 2002 when German filmmaker Jens Hoffmann threw open the idea of filming the life of a young up-and-coming ski star. As it developed, the project took on a global dimension that has touched the lives of many. People from Mali to Malaysia and Malibu have experienced Karina’s inspirational qualities first hand as she and the F24 Film crew made their way from launch pad and base camp in countries around the world.

“She was young, good looking but relatively unknown at the time,” Jens Hoffman said, recalling his first encounter with Karina in 2002. “Once I found out that she was a B.A.S.E. jumper, I knew straight away that it would make a good script. Five years later, the film has gone in a number of different directions but we ended up with a product we are extremely proud of about an athlete who was an absolute dream to work with.”

On a wing and a prayer
Karina has experienced the enormous adrenalin rush of jumping off the Kuala Lumpur Tower, the Free Skiing World Tour Finale in Les Arcs (France) and a B.A.S.E.-Jumping World Record for women. Now she is fighting hard to get back on a pair of skis. Her near-death experience in August of 2006 when her parachute malfunctioned while skydiving in Villeneuve, Switzerland, has only made her stronger. The attractive, multilingual and charismatic Norwegian is now showing all the strength and determination that has accompanied her throughout her career. After making a miraculous recovery from 25 fractures in her legs and an infection that nearly resulted in her losing her right leg – it took more than a dozen operations to save it - Karina is now walking again and plans to be back on a pair of skis within a year.

Karina Hollekim is an exceptional athlete and the film “20 seconds of joy” is the stuff that will continue to inspire all those who aspire to live life to the full – and those simply content to be in awe of her, a young woman who seizes life by the throat and lives it to the full.

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20 Seconds of You - Karina Hollekim

Story by Karina HollekinOne of extreme sports’ most endearing personalities has just completed one of the toughest projects in her life but now she, like the rest of the world, can sit back, relax and take in a portrait of her life on film.

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Story by Karina Hollekin

One of extreme sports’ most endearing personalities has just completed one of the toughest projects in her life but now she, like the rest of the world, can sit back, relax and take in a portrait of her life on film.