The stop-motion short film The Space Shuttle, directed by Ecuadorian filmmaker and Faculty of Art, Design, and Audiovisual Communication (FADCOM) instructor at ESPOL, Víctor Estrada, has been selected as a finalist in the prestigious CineSpace 2024 competition.
This international event, organized by NASA in collaboration with the Houston Cinema Arts Society, invites filmmakers worldwide to use real NASA footage to tell stories that combine science and art. Estrada, founder of STOPMONAUTAS and a passionate stop-motion creator, produced The Space Shuttle independently, using recycled materials as a tribute to one of NASA's most iconic spacecraft.
To complete this project in 2023, he was supported by a talented team consisting of Macario Estrada, Mercedes Jara, Teresa Jara, Mariuxi Romero, Byron Cortez, Nicolás Pablo, Jonathan Benites, Jezabel Folleco, and Pablo Encalada, who helped him overcome logistical and budget challenges faced during the quarantine. The CineSpace 2024 finals will take place on November 17 in Houston, Texas, where the winner will be announced from the 10 finalists selected worldwide.
This competition, held as part of the Houston Cinema Arts Festival, is renowned for its collaboration with NASA and its focus on the fusion of science and art. For Estrada, being a finalist in CineSpace represents the realization of a childhood dream when he aspired to become a NASA astronaut, now fulfilled through his passion for filmmaking and animation.
In addition to his career as a filmmaker, Estrada is a teaching technician at FADCOM, and along with his colleague Sebastián Mosquera, spearheaded the creation of ESPOL's Motion Lab, a space where students can develop animation projects and foster the use of traditional animation techniques. This achievement highlights Ecuadorian talent in the international animation scene, positioning Ecuador and FADCOM as references in the creation of innovative content.
For more information about CineSpace and the selected short films, please visit the following links:
© Photography: Courtesy of Víctor Estrada / Written by José Luis Castro
05/11/2024
