80th Normandy

Production Story

In June 2024, American Airlines took 68 WWII veterans from Dallas to France, for the 80th Anniversary of the D-Day landings. The entirety of the trip was planned and paid for by American Airlines.

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American flew each veteran to Dallas, where they were greeted with a heroes arrival. While in Dallas, the WWII veterans were honored with various celebrations, and a sendoff parade and ceremony in the terminal before flying on a charter flight direct to Paris. Upon arrival in Paris, the group was greeted by government leaders, embassy members and grateful locals. While in Paris, the veterans, guardians, and other trip participants visited the American Cementary in Paris, toured Paris and visited the Arc de Triomphe for a special wreath laying ceremony, before heading to Normandy for the remainder of the trip.

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In Normandy, the participants visited various memorials,  museums, and both Utah and Omaha beaches, as well as Pont du Hoc. A number of the veterans were in Normandy on D-Day, whether as bombers, parachuters or on the ground. It was overwhelmingly emotional, as some of them returned to the beaches and surrounding towns for the first time in 80 years.

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The entire group participated in the 80th Anniversary Ceremony at the Normandy American Cemetery, where the veterans were honored by both the American and French president and various other dignitaries.

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Filmiamo worked directly with the American Airlines Corporate Communications Team to provide video coverage of the entire event, with (3) videographers onsite, working daily to capture the moments and turn around b-roll string outs for the media each evening. Raw audio was captured by a Filmiamo Contractor, allowing the team to capture the real, emotional moments on the ground in Normandy. The team was creating content for the American Airlines Newsroom page daily.

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Upon returning home, Filmiamo created a sizzle reel, showcasing the highlights of the trip. This was shared on AA's social media and publications. Later in 2024, the team was contacted to create another piece, highlighting a specific veteran's journey for Veteran's Day. Prior the the trip, Filmiamo travelled to Long Island to capture content of a veteran prior to his journey.