Barilla presents emotional short film with Roger Federer
Barilla's short film "The Promise" with Roger Federer and up-and-coming talent Izyan "Zizou" Ahmad tells the story of a fan and his question that made the world smile - as well as his idol's answer.
"The Promise" is about a unique and true story about a young fan from the USA who finally meets his hero thanks to Barilla.
During the 2017 US Open press conference, Roger Federer was challenged by young fan and up-and-coming tennis player Izyan Ahmad, known to his fans as Zizou. Zizou asked if Roger could keep playing tennis until he was old enough to play Zizou himself. Federer then gave his word to his young fan. The video with the recording of the promise went up on YouTube viral.
Today, five years later, Barilla has made Federer's promise come true and given Zizou "the best day of his life" by making him believe he had traveled to Zurich for training purposes, when in reality he was supposed to meet his hero on the court.
For everyone involved, it was no easy task to have Zizou fly all the way from the USA to Zurich in Switzerland without him finding out what to actually expect in Zurich. Because the idea was to surprise him, to show an honest moment full of emotions between a top athlete and an enthusiastic young fan. This is to illustrate the way Barilla operates worldwide and develops products that are loved by people all over the world.
