The Balkans Mirage: A Journey on Wheels

Four friends set out bikepacking journey through the Balkans. A land of culture and breathtaking vistas that beckoned to be explored on two wheels.
Felix and Nicolas, armed with their cameras, will stop at nothing to immortalize every moment of their bikepacking adventure. Alongside them is Annie, a determined scientist on a quest to uncover the secrets of a most enigmatic species of bats. And then there's Mathieu, who quite frankly, hasn't a clue what he's gotten himself into…
***
Quatre amis s'élancent dans une aventure à vélo au travers des Balkans: un territoire méconnu, arborant des paysages à couper le souffle qui ne demande qu'à être exploré sur deux roues.
Félix et Nicolas, au cockpit de leur vélo et prêts à tout pour capturer chaque instant de l’aventure à l'aide de caméras, sont rejoints par Annie, une scientifique déterminée à découvrir une rare espèce de chauve-souris. Mathieu pour sa part, n'a bien franchement aucune idée dans quoi il s’est embarqué…
7mesh presents in collaboration with Apidura, Manitonga & HLC - THE BALKANS MIRAGE: A JOURNEY ON WHEELS
directed by Nicolas Bellavance
produced by Felix Burke
Starring :
Nicolas Bellavance
Felix Burke
Mathieu Langevin
Annie Thibault
Narrator : Louise Saint-Claire
Production year: 2023

[@adidas]

This is incredible.

[@nicolasbellavance8585]

For a second, I thought that I saw a mirage. Thank you 💛

[@user-39q49-0]

Adidas!?!

[@DIY-DaddyO]

You've raised the bar on cycle vloging. Entertaining, stylish and compact. Wes Anderson eat ya heart out. Bravo 👌

[@smlnski0085]

ok that is the best cycle vlog-doc ever created

[@ivorzagorac7810]

I've watched 2 min and 22 sec and I already love it. How does this channel have less than 10k subscribers. This looks awesome!

[@whizzworks3610]

What in world did i just watched.... EXTRAextra ORDINARY !!!!

[@mikechajecki7323]

Absolutely brilliant, a visual candy for the eyes and the soul. Well done you all.

[@briannorwick]

I was very impressed with this film. Nice work!!

[@ihnuzi8415]

THIS IS SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO ENTERTAINING

[@1barllama]

This is one of the best bikepacking videos I‘ve ever seen! ❤

[@sirac.kasgarli]

I TRULY AGREE WITH YOU!

[@siddharthaneupane3721]

Wow! Just beautiful!

[@shamsbt]

Wow. Incroyable!

[@benblakeroadtrips]

Hyper sympa ! 😍

[@ivica7092]

Croatia here. LOVE IT ❤🎉😅

[@marco2057]

Geniaal 🚴🚴👍👍

[@alexeibar]

This is the best thing I have ever seen! Such a perfect work, just wow! so fun to watch and the photography is outstanding!

[@futureceo5253]

This is great work! Keep it up guys.

[@ovframe]

Now 7mesh is my favourite brand. And Nicolas is my favourite filmmaker (maybe on the same level as Wes, but not sure)

[@danfedder1]

Those group shots must have been a pain to set up and retrieve the camera.

[@nicolasbellavance8585]

I just had to convince the group to stop and go back the hill a few times. Well a few more... or maybe a lot of times :D

[@diegomaradona5452]

UAU

[@galazanugrah5900]

it's cool, but feels like trailer than a movie

[@nicolasbellavance8585]

You're the first one to point it and you are 100% correct. Right when the idea was born, I knew we would not be able to create a proper story so the entire short would be kind of a giant trailer. We set the background, the characters, their adventure and not much because that was impossible. No dialogue, no idea what and where we would shoot, limited actions and basically the entire script being written after the trip... This was the best we could make out of those images! Next one could be different ;)

[@mporio101]

jesus, did wes anderson approve this?

[@finismarac4999]

my first thought

[@ericpmoss]

They probably are students of accidentallywesanderson

[@DankTech]

If you like accidentallywesanderson stuff and snowboarding , @shredbots has an amazing snowboard one that just released!

[@sirfizz6518]

Zoomers are the first generation to grow up with a whole slew of Anderson films already in existence. Of course they're gonna be massively influenced lol 😊

[@jillesoom3305]

this is a better wes anderson spoof than all those tacky AI generated ones combined. Amazing job, more of a short film than a bikepacking vlog, love it

[@oh_aces]

Stares in to middle distance...turns head. Blinks...nods. Repeat! OMG ART!

[@jillesoom3305]

@@oh_aces im not sure whether or not this is sarcasm or not, but there's so much more to making a good spoof than that.

[@ohoh5065]

Ain’t no way a gem like this is hiding in youtube 🥺 i feel so lucky find this

[@grantgreene22]

this video brought me an immense amount of joy. the storytelling is so perfectly executed. Im going backpacking in the balkans in about a week, so this was perfect for making me even more excited.

[@felixburke4936]

Have fun !!

[@ciprianoravet]

How was it?

[@grantgreene22]

@@ciprianoravet it was really incredible. highly recommend

[@Heiserton]

This is extremely well done. Excellent take on a bikepacking video!

[@MH-cy5do]

As a Bosnian, I am so grateful how you represented my motherland. So fun too watch too! Thank you

[@paolocruz8392]

I absolutely loved this. A breath of fresh air compared to opinionated youtube "content creators." Story telling is far better than just listening to what they have to say. Thank you for this.

[@lumbum_]

Really lovely. Not that this is a bad thing whatsoever, I find myself finding Wes Anderson style moments the most fun to shoot and its a great joy to see it executed with such skill and beauty. But it almost feels like we as a generation have mass-produced his aesthetic and makes his work and all work similar familiar and underwhelming. This style doesnt feel the same as it once did. Who (if anybody is reading this) remembers the first time you saw one of Wes's films? The feeling was beyond any feeling I ever felt in movies. And of course, Wes was inspired by all the greats before him but he took elements of what he found special and crafted something new and something with a level of orginallity that made all of us feel something that makes us want to get on a bike and shoot a film. All in all, great work and hope you keep making films

[@SkulduggeryBlaze77]

I can wholeheartedly say this is, without doubt, the highest quality KZbin video I have ever watched. This is gorgeous! This is spectacular! This is art! Wow

[@tonyvidinovski1310]

Well done, loved it!!! Both my parents were born and raised in small villages in the Balkans. I hope one day to explore them on my bike! Thank you!

[@SAMLT3M]

Holy shit this is fantastically done! Congrats on this achievement to everyone involved in the making of this. Inspiring me for the future for sure. Thanks🙏

[@jojoanggono3229]

Fantastic plot! Amusing and one of the best cycling docu I've ever watched. Eclectic selection of routes plus the countries are so beautiful ❤

[@NikolaFilo-op8tb]

Epic vlog! 🙌 Can you share the routes you cycled?

[@juanpablotoro7944]

Best bike documentary I have ever seen! Congratuations guys!

[@SleeveZipper]

Well this is different! And very well done! 390 photos a day? I hope those weren’t 35mm or you’ll need a trust fund to pay for development 😂

[@aaronedgeart]

Definitely the best Wes Anderson homage film thus far, well done!

[@FeroxFury]

Every now and then you stumble upon a video where the small creator is having a real crack (having a proper go in Australian). And I love to see it.

[@chrisinglis5429]

Superb short film, Wes Anderson vibes all over it (good thing)! Thanks

[@rajfl90]

OMG this was epic! Greetings from balkan!

[@natasharoberge8538]

This was so well done! Absolutely love your filming style and storytelling.

[@ainomc]

A lot of effort was invested into this movie! Awesome!

[@Winefolly]

Amazing.

[@HafizAnbarry]

I see The Oscars quality in this short movie.

[@JustinEspejo]

One of the best films I’ve ever seen. This is incredible!!!!

[@alecilstrup]

This is incredible! Bravo. Also, I wanna go next time

[@UAA-MakRo]

Wow it's amazing. I thought of the movie "Stranger Than Fiction" while watching the video. Has the same external audio narration

[@nicolasbellavance8585]

Thanks for mentionning that movie. For the anecdote, Louise Saint-Claire, who's doing this fantastic narration in The Balkans Mirage, actually mentionned that film after reading our script. I immediatly watched it and thought "well, at least one thing that already exists". I liked it very much!

[@Offwekid]

It almost can’t get any better than this. Storytelling on point, love how we as viewers were introduced to four stars of this movie, got to know their stories and personalities. It made me experience that trip as a fifth rider. Picture is pure style and talent. Locations presented are beautiful, definitely made me want to visit Balkan’s one day. Gift of inspiration and joy! Absolutely love this movie and a company of those four. Bravo!

[@ovidiuzaharia286]

Amazing storytelling! The last shot must’ve been quite something to set up !

[@peyton.simpson]

I loveeee the video and photography style, did you create the effect in post? Or is it just a matter of equipment? If you dont mind me asking what cameras did you use? Im an aspiring photographer myself and I i'm obsessed with this vintage, vibrant almost dreamlike style.

[@nicolasbellavance8585]

This was shot on the Sony a7siii paired with the Sigma 24-70mm 2.8 (mostly at 24mm) and a pro mist filter 1/8. Then, there was certainly quite some color treatment done in post (Davinci Resolve) in order to match a vibe closer to certain aspect of film / analog.

[@SmallCirclesForward]

I could only dream of making something this beautiful

[@alolympic]

Art. Adventure. Inspiration. Very special, thank you!

[@facundorife4330]

Wes Anderson ruined everything.

[@JUSTINBUISSON]

C'est incroyable !! Bravo à vous vraiment, la DA, le style, l'étalo, le storytelling, GRAND BRAVO

[@5kyforger]

I'm at 1:32 and already liked it, can't believe the masterpiece this is! Ćao from Bosnia!

[@sph4898]

Soooo Wes Anderson style! My fave! Good job guys, great movie, loved it!

[@paul-camilleherment7365]

C'est du pur génie !!!! J'avais justement en tête de faire un docu au style Wes Anders on, mais vous l'avez déjà fait, et avec brio !!! Sublime 👌

[@akeeracy22]

WHAAAAATTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@twmedia-film]

This is the greatest thing ivé ever seen. Randomly stumbled upon this but you got me sitting for 11 minutes not once checking how long was left of the video. Brilliance in every aspect. You sparked a longing of exploring the Balkan I did not know I had in me. Thanks for this

[@neilgibb2594]

Inspirational Wes and team! So much so my buddy want to something similar in 2025. Any chance of getting the route you took? Thanks

[@vid04]

this is simply incredible

[@army_of_believers]

Simply amazing 👏 Narration/shooting/story/riders/town. Everything is so amazing

[@joshualacoe]

If I didn't know any better, I'd say this was a Wes Anderson video! Lovely Job!

[@m-y1602]

Well that was annoying

[@AJTno4]

Amazing - this is so great! You can feel the love that went into it.

[@AfoteyAnnum]

This was absolutely HILARIOUS #CinematographyGoals

[@prodbyscars]

this is the coolest thing i’ve ever seen

[@bernardmitura9332]

that's the best thing I've seen on KZbin, ever!!!

[@AntoninFromont-wn8ou]

Absoluttely awesome, thank you for your way of telling, filming, and sharing your stories. It's fresh, bubbly and absurdly perfect.

[@osigurach]

Amazing guys, amazing. PLEASE DONT JUMP FROM OLD BRIDGE IN MOSTAR IF YOU ARE NOT PROFESSIONAL! Thanks. xD

[@milesenlight]

gennis! well done team! 🙌🏾✨🚴‍♀️🚴🏽‍♂️🚴🚴🏻‍♀️💌 Miles

[@christophevrs83400]

Excellent 😂. Votre vidéo est géniale. C'est original, frais , un grand bravo 👏

[@loteq101]

Congrats. One of the best of the genre, cycle film or Anderson inspired film. Also helps that I love the balkans. ❤

[@guillermoguillermo1752]

Incroyable, chaque plan est une carte postale ! Les tons pastels sont superbes ! Magnifique travail ! Vive le Québec Libre !

[@diegomaradona5452]

This is The probably The most well done vídeo that I've ever seen

[@loupotos]

Amazing work!!! More please :D

[@michaelcleveland98]

Great video.... although, no one needs waterproof bags.... check anyone who's ever backpacked. Hand made bikepacking as well or better... just sayin'.

[@broodingbrook]

oh how candidly beautiful is this video! Loved it and a big thumbs up to whoever that has come up with the script and the one who voiced it👍👍👍

[@yupyup5186]

This new Wes Anderson short film is dope!

[@bhavesh7922]

absolutely wonderful

[@berniasd012]

duuuude... this is fcking aweseme!!! Somy comments can be found at other cycling videos (which are just basic vlogs) that say "omg this is the best biking video on yt.... and i always comment, nah not the best, just follows the basic vlog/montage/ariel formula, not so creative, and ppl get pissed at me... those ppls should watch this, this truly is a video, kind of a short film rather than a vlog.

[@anastasiosskouras5090]

Great Job....Keep them coming!...Joyous view...should be longer!

[@andrecardoso3247]

i liked this video somewhere along this last year.. glad I did, 'cause now it was on my "saved playlist" and I had the pleasure to rewatch this gem

[@acecreates]

I just adored this storytelling!

[@pedalhound]

This just made my day.....so good!

[@kpran7162]

students of wes anderson. madness, creative, full of energetic people. 4 of them.

[@hozziar]

That’s just amazing! You guys incredibly creative!!

[@tomaszfontana5647]

This is a masterpiece, well done guys!!! Any chance you could make a video about how you made it? (like: idea, planning, shooting, bts, etc..)

[@AggieMet]

THAT was exceptionally enjoyable. Thank you!

[@iancho9587]

That turn around front of the Bulgarian border must be your Balkans spill-o-mirage journey spoiler... The Balkans trip with no Bulgaria and Romania, shouldn't be named as one!

[@bouirbouir5033]

I can't believe how good this is, I wished for the video to go on for longer!

[@jonahcote1089]

This is, no joke, one of the best youtube video's I've ever seen. Brb, just need to show this to every single person I know.

[@edgarssprogis9914]

this is insane, the trip must have been exhausting and to find and rehers and to film conent forin the style of Wes Anderson, what feat. So good. its crazy actually.

[@noecourmont8498]

wait, have I just seen a Wes Anderson movie aboout cycling ? all jokes appart it is an insane work you guys have made, very inspiring !

[@RockySmithsen]

09:16 “ok guys wait here! I’m gonna go set up the camera and come back; I promise it’ll be dope!” “Ok but you better use the whole shot”

[@mugiwaramedur5662]

the map that is used in this video is so old that it doesn't show Albania,Macedonia, and Kosovo its funny how the video is so perfect but that one part is really misleading for the people who wants to learn geography and where you actually move, this map is older than 100 years, you mentioned Yugoslavia in this video and you put a map which doesn't even include nothing that was Yugoslavia, you can just put down and search for map of Yugoslavia which shows all the countries that were inside of it , and people would have much more updated vision of how it was and which countries are now the one who splited from that union

[@markkohr6078]

Dang, great work, all of it, writing, edit, music, shots, acting. Bravo!

[@wanglov]

This is ridiculously well done! The shots, the story, the narrator... everything is just so so good! Thank you for creating this masterpiece and sharing it with the world! I'm both inspired and jealous :)

[@jonbello4573]

Excellent! Like a Wes Anderson film but on cycling ❤

[@Haileyyyoung]

i immediately push the subscription button less than 10 seconds after the video started😂 love this wes anderson vibe!!

[@straybob4488]

This is so good it hurts a bit, bravo