GOVERNMENT OF REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA | 10 METERS APART | 2013
10 Meters That Changed Everything / GOVERNMENT OF REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA "10 METERS APART"
Just 10 meters. That's the distance between where Christians and Muslims pray. But those 10 meters led to the first joint prayer in history, and won the Balkans' first-ever Titanium Lion.
The problem
In 2001, Macedonia was torn apart by ethnic conflict. Armed Albanian forces clashed with government troops. Footage mixed images of Orthodox and Islamic prayer with gunfire and coffins. A country that had once been a crossroads of cultures found itself split into two ethnic groups, Christians and Muslims. The government needed to "reintroduce" religious tolerance.
The insight
10 meters. That was the distance of hope discovered in one village, where Christians and Muslims shared a single temple. Maybe the problem wasn't conflict itself, but simply not knowing each other, not seeing each other. Tolerance means giving to others the same right you want for yourself. Could that principle be shown in a single symbolic moment?
The idea
Capture the first joint prayer in history on camera. Father Mihail, representing the Orthodox Church, and Mr. Miftar Islami, representing the Islamic community, each offer their own prayers in the same space, standing 10 meters apart. The two-minute film opens with archival footage of the conflict, then moves to a quiet village. At the 1-minute-20-second mark, the two men pray. At the end, a message appears: "Peace is a never-ending process."
What happened
The film won a Titanium Lion at Cannes Lions in 2013, the first such win ever for a Balkan advertisement. Macedonian media praised the way the film was handled, and the filmmakers brought a proposal to parliament to establish October 18 (the day of the joint prayer) as a national day of prayer. The project also helped push religious communities closer together across the region.
Afterthought
It struck me that this wasn't meant to be a one-time event, but rather "a never-ending process." The physical distance of 10 meters became a first step toward closing a psychological distance. Titanium is an award given for "game-changing creativity," and this really was a piece of work that moved beyond advertising to move society itself. Makes me want to start with small steps too.
Awards
- Cannes Lions Grand Prix 2013
Featured in
- Alone, You Can't Reach ItAn ad that isn't finished until one more person shows up.
