Following three years of production, a new documentary named FORTITUDE, featuring some of the leading names in the commercial space sector, will premier at the iconic Library of Congress in Washington D.C. on July 16th. The film is set to go live on AppleTV on the same day.
“FORTITUDE - Forging the Trillion Dollar Space Economy” was produced by award winning director Torsten Hoffmann, whose previous documentaries include Cryptopia: Bitcoin, Blockchains and the Future of the Internet (2020, Amazon Prime and Netflix Europe). Hoffmann, who brands himself as a techno optimist, called his latest feature film a “must-see for anyone interested in how technology is shaping the future”.
Throughout the film, he candidly discusses the emerging space industry with leaders and policymakers from multiple national space agencies, the United Nations renowned astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, leading venture capitalists and non-profit organisations such as Space for Humanity and the Secure World Foundation, as well as leading commercial names that include Northrop Grumman, Rocket Lab, Viasat, Voyager Space, Firefly Aerospace, Planet, Exolaunch, Astroscale, CONTEC, Spire Global and many more.
FORTITUDE explores the rise of a new private "space age", the often overlooked dependence of the public and businesses on satellites, and showcases noteworthy female engineers and scientists working in the industry. It encourages viewers to contemplate the economic viability of certain high-profile space exploration projects and billionaire bravado.
Space For Humanity (S4H) and its new Executive Director Antonio Peronace are hosting the U.S. premiere and the organisation’s first citizen astronaut, Katya Ezerachetta is featured in the documentary. On the project she commented “The Space industry needs better storytellers to illustrate why space matters for Earth. My passion is to bring more women, especially from developing nations, into STEM and this film does an excellent job of capturing why that matters”. While a statement from S4H reads, "The modern space age is upon us and FORTITUDE charts a clear image of the constellation of countries, companies, organisations, and individuals on the leading edge of increasing access to space for all. This documentary does a great job of showcasing the wellspring of innovation that's emerged in this new Space Renaissance by telling the stories of the passionate people that are propelling it’. On the topic of inclusivity in the sector, SpaceFounders board member Prof. Dr. Rafaela Kraus added "I was particularly impressed by the film's portrayal of diversity in space: It shows many inspiring female astronauts and scientists and how they are taking humanity further".
Fortitude also tells the story of those individuals drawn to the sector to invest capital and endeavour to turn science fiction into science fact. Early investor in space start-ups and CEO of Voyager Space, Dylan Taylor, is an Executive Producer of the film. He stated “An important reason behind making this documentary is to help inspire a new generation towards careers in STEM. The exponential global growth of the industry means there will be more opportunities than ever before to be a part of the sector, regardless of background”.
This visually stunning feature documentary was produced on 4 continents to capture the space industry’s potential to impact humanity’s present and future. The film tackles concerns about space sustainability, delving into how the industry has a direct impact on both Earth and space environments. Dr Paul Bate, CEO of the UK Space Agency, said “The global space sector has grown dramatically over the past decade and plays a significant role in our daily lives, but we face a pressing challenge. With around 35,000 pieces of space debris larger than 10cm orbiting our planet, we must act now on space sustainability to ensure future generations have the opportunity to benefit from satellite technologies and services we take for granted today. FORTITUDE brings these opportunities and challenges to life in a way that I hope will inspire many more people to contribute to the space sector, to bring fresh perspectives to our work and help us protect our orbital environment and beyond.”
The film’s Associate Producer, Daniel Smith of AstroAgency, names sustainability amongst the biggest challenges for the industry, adding “It also presents an opportunity for innovation and collaboration. Human-made space debris poses a threat to satellites that are crucial for our daily lives, while the launch sector, which enables these insights, must find new ways to minimise its environmental impact.”
On the release schedule producer/director Torsten Hoffmann added “After the premiere, we aim to bring FORTITUDE to audiences around the world and are currently lining up various conferences, festivals, museums and universities for a global film events tour”. Production partners include Screen Australia, Multiverse Media, Spacewatch.Global, PRORES GmbH, and Morgan Brook Films, and AstroAgency are collaborating with various event partners to arrange additional screenings in London, Berlin, Paris, Zurich, Los Angeles, New York, Edinburgh, and Munich, to be confirmed shortly.
The trailer and screening licences are available at www.FortitudeMovie.com. The documentary will be available for streaming at AppleTV on July 16th and other major streaming platforms in the following weeks.