Don't we all sometimes dream of breaking out of our all-day lives and starting a new life - a life free from all conventions and constraints?
The documentary film "Empire Me – Der Staat bin ich“ explores this very idea. In the quest for an ideal lifestyle, free spirits and individualists build their own worlds as micro-nations.
Producers Gebrüder Beetz Filmproduktion extended the silver screen onto the digital stage with the transmedia web format "Empire Me Interactive".
Visitors to the site are met with a mix of playful and informative content and are confronted right at the outset with several key questions: What does money mean to you? Do we need rules in order to live together? This online quiz is a teaser for the film and leads the user to the micro-nation that best shares their values. The social media concept builds upon this identification factor and helps give the film a viral marketing component: Become an online citizen of your new micro-nation and you can share your new allegiance with your friends. A comprehensive micro-nation area gives visitors more information about the six mini-states introduced in the film. A tactile world map allows users to interactively see and explore the distribution of real micro-nations around the globe. Additionally, a "News" section to keep fans informed of the latest festival showings and awards for "Empire Me" and a download area for press materials round out the online offerings.
"Empire Me Interactive" was nominated for "Best Online Project of the Year 2012" by the Medienpreis Prix Europa.
