Based in Munich, the company was founded in 1917.[3] It produces professional motion picture cameras, lenses, lighting and postproduction equipment. Hermann Simon mentioned this company in his book Hidden Champions of the 21st Century as an example of a "hidden champion".[4] The Arri Alexa camera system was used to film Academy Award winners for Best Cinematography including Hugo,[5] Life of Pi,[6] Gravity,[7] Birdman,[8] The Revenant[9] and 1917.