BASF & Filmaka present: 15 minute Pit Stops

By 2025, our innovations in electric car battery materials aim to reduce the charging time to just 15 minutes. This is four times faster than today. The brief to aspiring filmmakers was simple: In 2025, when it only takes 15 minutes to recharge your car, what would you do with those 15 minutes to recharge yourself?

 

Entrants had to send in their pitches, treatments and scripts for an original short film based on this question. Filmmakers from far and wide applied and out of 100 submissions, three lucky winners each received a production budget to produce and deliver their short film in just three weeks. Watch the three winning films below and learn more about the producers, their ideas and how they imagined a 15-minute-recharge could benefit us all in the future.

Feeling inspired? What would you do with 15 minutes? Join the conversation on Twitter, Facebook , Instagram or LinkedIn using the hashtags #15MinuteRecharge #Reason4Optimism

Ozum Bobaroglu Domianus - Unplug your mind

Ozum Bobaroglu Domianus is an independent filmmaker, screenwriter and photographer based in Los Angeles. Following her BA in anthropology, she has completed three graduate programs in directing, producing and business and management of entertainment in UCLA. The project she most recently took part in was HBO's most-watched comedy series "Ballers" with Dwayne Johnson.

"I'm very proud to be a part of the communication campaign for BASF because their vision of a brighter future allows all of us to sleep a little easier. BASF's optimistic outlook in the cutting-edge exploration of scientific solutions for human health sets the global standard. The movie elaborates on this concept and shows how connecting with nature and taking 15 minutes to do some self-exploration is one of the quickest and best ways to recharge ourselves. BASF's technology for speedy charging will also create greater convenience for drivers of e-cars."

When I read the script of "Unplug your Mind", I was already impressed by the power of the story and the movie started already running in my head. For me the film's magic moment is when the stressed-out business man realizes that he won't be able to spend the waiting time with his beloved gadgets. The "Unplug your Mind" story turns the 15-minutes charging time from a burden into a gift - 15 minutes of precious leisure time to relax, to take care of yourself, to recharge your batteries. The thinking of 'being optimistic about the future' comes across very strong and in a very emotional and human way.

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I liked the story “The Meaning of Life” as it shows us what innovations can give us back. We never think about how much of these developments are impacting our life, but suddenly we realize that there is a great value. At BASF battery materials we are in a very innovative environment where we try every day to improve the final product, to have a benefit for everyone at the end. And if it is only 15 minutes to do things which are important to us. I also can personally relate to the story. As a father of a daughter full of energy, the story inspires me to do a video log for her when I have some spare time.”
No sooner said than done: Sven-Oliver sent us a  >>video message. 

Ozum Bobaroglu Domianus - Unplug your mind

Ozum Bobaroglu Domianus is an independent filmmaker, screenwriter and photographer based in Los Angeles. Following her BA in anthropology, she has completed three graduate programs in directing, producing and business and management of entertainment in UCLA. The project she most recently took part in was HBO's most-watched comedy series "Ballers" with Dwayne Johnson.

"I'm very proud to be a part of the communication campaign for BASF because their vision of a brighter future allows all of us to sleep a little easier. BASF's optimistic outlook in the cutting-edge exploration of scientific solutions for human health sets the global standard. The movie elaborates on this concept and shows how connecting with nature and taking 15 minutes to do some self-exploration is one of the quickest and best ways to recharge ourselves. BASF's technology for speedy charging will also create greater convenience for drivers of e-cars."

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Antoinette Westcott & Jonathan Fishman - A Family Affair

Originally from South Florida, Antoinette Westcott moved to Los Angeles to pursue her passion to act and has quickly found her home as an actress, host, and producer. She is the host and producer of a weekly show "One Veggie at a Time" which collectively received over 60k views in 2018. Jonathan David Fishman is a dual citizen of both the United Kingdom where he was born in Croydon, England and a naturalized U.S. citizen. Jonathan started his professional acting career in Hartford, Connecticut during his last year at the University of Connecticut. From that point on he has collaborated on hundreds of projects for both stage and screen.

"We were drawn to the broad question: if you had 15 minutes you didn't know that you had, wouldn't it be great to notice the gift that the time is? From there we quickly zoomed in on the universal icon of family and that a road trip would give us the perfect opportunity to highlight the potential impact of charging your car since when doing this at home you simply plug-in and no-one else in the house might be the wiser. We were inspired by the idea that the car (technology) requires recharging its cells with electricity. Humans on the other hand recharge best by unplugging from technology. We appreciate BASF's mission to focus on the positive impact of using renewable and sustainable energy to enhance our quality of life."

Is this an invented story? No - it is the daily reality in our families today. We all know these families of three or four with the same number of small electronic devices that are killing the conversations between family members and are steeling precious family-time every day. It might be good to have something to do during long driving hours, but it is even better to enjoy family conversation and family fun during breaks while recharging the battery of the electric car. BASF battery materials will help to bring charging times down from several hours today to 15 minutes in the near future. Just the right time period to leave the car, eat and drink and enjoy family conversation and fun - before hitting the road again for another 600 km drive without recharging; enabled again by BASF battery materials"