The Fantastic Flights of Sophie Blanchard

This is an incredible story which really demands to be told and to reach a wide audience. Until I came across this video a short while ago I had never heard of Sophie Blanchard which is a little strange when you realize what she achieved during her life.Her achievements are extraordinary and why she her story is not taught in schools is, frankly, beyond us!

The first female professional balloonist, she made more than sixty ascents and was famous in her day throughout Europe. She was also, alas, the first woman to die in an aviation accident.  All of this was achieved not, as you might imagine, in the twentieth century but at the beginning of the nineteenth. Blanchard was born in 1778 and died in 1819. Yet although her life was cut short Sophie truly followed her own dreams.

Now, award winning director and animator Jen Sachs wishes to realize her own dream, which is to create and complete a semi animated documentary about Sophie Blanchard. As you can see from the pitch above, some of it has been completed. While this venture has received some grants it is mostly self funded – and this is where you (hopefully!) come in!

A small donation from you will enable Jen to bring additional animators onto the project.  These artists will work alongside her to create animated scenes based on the established style and storyboards and bring the project to completion.  To learn more about how you can help, please go to Jen’s indiegogo pitch.