AMATEURS IN SPACE Amateurs in Space is a story of two friends, Peter and Kristian, DIRECTORS NOTE and their shared boyhood dream of traveling into space in their own Seven years ago, Peter and Kristian told me they wanted to build home-built space rocket. If they succeed, the two Danes will write a space rocket and send Peter out into Space. I figured that was a themselves into the annals of history as the world’s first amateurs great idea. Then I asked them whether it was possible. Practically to go into space. But the two enthusiasts soon realize that rocket speaking. They answered: ”yes” and I immediately went to get my science is the least of their problems. camera. Since then I have never doubted that they were going to succeed. AMATEURS IN SPACE is the story of one of mankind’s greatest dreams and how to make it come true in your own unique way. It’s a Afterwards many intelligent people have told med, ”Well, Max… you film for everyone who likes to be entertained and marvel at human do realize it is not possible to build your own space rocket and send derring-do and relentless striving – onward and upward. it out into space, right?”. This has of course made me a bit doubtful. And I have said to myself many times, that Peter and Kristian had to It’s a humoristic story about Peter Madsen and Kristian von Bengt- be the exception. son working hard to make their dreams come true. They are building But it is a fact, that not all turned out as planned. a spacecraft to take one person on a flight into space. The two Today I have a film, that does not exclusively revolve around technical of them are the only people working on the project full-time. They victories, but just as much around human limitations. Thus there are founded “Copenhagen Suborbitals” and gathered a small group of vol- many context and situations that are easy to recognize yourself in – unteering spaceflight enthusiasts from different backgrounds around unless you are a human being without limitations. them who contribute to the project alongside their regular work. The goal is a suborbital flight. One hundred kilometres up into space, and I have watched them eat open-faced cheese sandwiches and argue back again – at the courtesy of gravity. about the sandwiches with just as much passion as when they built their rocket. Actually, I see the comparison of the great ambitions Kristian arrives every day at 9.15, when he has taken his children to and the everyday challenges as what made this project exciting to day-care. Just before arriving he texts Peter, letting him know that me personally. Peter and Kristian are neither China, Russia or the he is on his way. This gives Peter the time he needs to roll out of his U.S. They are just Peter and Kristian. They are small, but their bed from under the rocket and get dressed. They have been working dreams are not. like this for five years with the majority of their building materials bought in DIY stores. And now their rocket is nearly ready. I don’t know whether you should call the film a painful comedy or a hi- larious tragedy. But that’s actually not that important. What’s impor- But something goes terribly wrong. Different opinions arise and tant for me is to emphasize how the end of the film is not the end of collide, and suddenly the two friends wind up in a serious argument. Peter and Kristian. Life is full of turning points and new beginnings. They lose their tempers and before long they are in a space race, In a moment the amateurs will leave into space. I still believe that. not against the world, but each other. Max Kestner, October 2016. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Kristian von Bengtson (b. 1974) originally an architect with a Copenhagen Suborbitals is a non-profit organisation originally master’s degree in space craft science from the International Space founded by Peter Madsen and Kristian von Bengston in 2008. The University in Strasbourg. For several years he was part of the Space group consists of around 50 private experts and rocket amateurs, Architecture Technical Committee and has repeatedly worked for who originally intended to assist the two founders of the organiza- NASA and the European Space Research and Technology Centre, tion in both the development and the launch of Denmark’s the first ESA in the Netherlands. (For more information: manned rocket. This was based on an objective to cross limits and www.vonb.dk/) break with usual ideas of what is possible and what is not. Peter Madsen is a self-taught submarine engineer and in 2001 he In 2011 Copenhagen Suborbitals was nominated for the World Tech- constructed the first home-built submarine in Denmark. Since then nology Award and has since received the daily newspaper Politiken’s more DIY-building projects have followed, and for eight years he went iByen Award (2012), Breitling Milestone Award (2013) and the Elle- on expeditions under sea-level in his own amateur submarines Freya hammer Award (2014) for their work on the space rocket project. (2002), Kraka (2005) and UC3 Nautilus (2008). He now leads his (For more information: www.copenhagensuborbitals.com). own space program ‘Rocket-Madsen’s Spacelab’. (For more informa- tion: www.rml.space). DIRECTOR PRODUCER Max Kestner Sigrid Dyekjær PGA Max Kestner graduated as a documentary Has made over 20 documentary films film director from the National Film School during the last 16 years. In 2015 she was of Denmark in 1997. He made “Max by awarded the Ib Award, given by the Danish chance” in 2004, which was chosen for Directors Association to honor the best pro- First Appearance at IDFA Amsterdam. He ducer in the Danish film industry. She is the has made several feature length documenta- producer of Oscar-nominee Hanna Polak’s ries in Denmark and has won several Danish Something Better To Come, which won over Academy Awards. Besides premiering at 30 awards around the world and for this IDFA with “Amateurs in Space” in 2016, she was nominated at the Producers Guild Max just made a feature fiction film “Man of America Awards 2016 for Outstanding Divided” which will premiere in 2017. Producer of Documentary. Director Editing SALES AGENT DANISH DOCUMENTARY Max Kestner Jacob Thuesen Production Sound Design Autlook Filmsales Spittelberggasse 3/14 Kvæsthusgade 5C, 1st. floor Sigrid Jonsson Dyekjær Hans Møller 1070 Vienna 1251 Copenhagen K. Denmark for Danish Documentary Music Austria Phone: +45 26162535 Cinematography Paul Leonard-Morgan Max Kestner Running time Managing director Salma Abdalla Producer Sigrid Jonsson Dyekjær Claus Mejling 90 min. Phone: +43 720346934 [email protected] Pol Mejer Language [email protected] Kim Høgh Mikkelsen Danish and English www.danishdocumentary.com.