Jean-Baptiste Chandelier (right) and Thomas Pierre-Bes
Adventure and inspiration

Making the Leap with JBC

The Leap is the latest award-winning short film from pilot and filmmaker Jean-Baptiste Chandelier (“The king of paragliding movies”) and is a tribute to his parents who gave him his love of free flight.

20 October, 2025, by Ed Ewing. Photo: Alain Doucé

JB, what a beautiful film

Thank you. It’s my personal story and explains why I did what I did with my flying and filmmaking. It’s more personal this time, and you see more of me in it. I wanted to explain why I fell in love with paragliding, and why I am so invested, and why I perhaps wanted to experience more things than other people. Because I knew early that one day I could die.

At its heart it is about losing your dad when you were a child

I was 10 years old when my father died, and I Iost my...

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