CH25: Leopoldine Huyghues Despointes
The young filmmaker and non-profit founder who just wants people to follow their dreams
Leopoldine Huyghues Despointes is a multi-talented and motivated 24 year old. From her role as an actress and producer in the short film “Atlantic Avenue” to showing work at Sundance and the Tribeca Film Festival, she has already made her mark in the film world. Leopoldine is also the founder and director of the non-profit (Dis)ABLED Visionaries, whose mission is essentially to prove that being in a wheelchair—or being differently abled—isn’t a hindrance to happiness nor success.
Born with Osteogenesis Imperfecta (perhaps better understood as fragile bone disease), the young artist hasn’t let it impede her work in the slightest. She’s most often seen speeding around in her chair with a broad smile as she leads others with passion and energy. Her goal at its most simple, she explains, “is about inspiring everyone to pursue their own dreams.”
For more about this impressive young woman’s projects, read her full CH25 profile.
Illustration by Jason Ratliff, images courtesy of Leopoldine Huyghues Despointes
