I’m pausing our chronicle of the beginning of World War II to return to my periodic subject of bringing Athenia’s story to a wider audience. One of the principal reasons I wrote my novel, “Without Warning,” and started blogging four years ago was to make more people aware of this long-forgotten tragedy. Many who read the book encouraged me to make a film about it, and that has brought us to this point.
A documentary film about Athenia has a chance to reach more people, especially because the story is so compelling. The passengers aboard Athenia were ordinary people like you and me. But when faced with the possibility of dying on a sinking ship, they calmly helped each other into lifeboats to escape. You can’t help but be inspired by their selfless actions – stepping aside to let others board a lifeboat before them, diving into cold Atlantic waters to save loved ones, and even returning to the sinking ship to rescue one last person minutes before Athenia slipped beneath the sea.
To tell the story effectively requires compelling images to accompany the recollections of the nine survivors we interviewed. The images we need – historic photos, newsreel footage, filmed re-enactments, and animation – can be costly. That is why later this month we will launch a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo to help secure images needed for “Athenia’s Last Voyage.”
It is a simple, straightforward way to raise the funds we need to keep our effort moving forward while we apply for filmmaking grants. The 30-day campaign will feature numerous videos with members of our production crew and some of the survivors featured in our documentary. Like many crowdfunding campaigns, ours will offer a variety of premiums for different levels of contributions. For example, donating a $50 or more will allow you to be listed in our film’s end credits.
Finally, the campaign will place our project in front of a broader public for the first time. It will be an opportunity to gauge the level of public interest in and enthusiasm for “Athenia’s Last Voyage,” and will tell us if we taking the right approach with our story.
If you are interested in helping us out with a donation, here is the link;
Athenia’s Last Voyage: Documentary
