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CineSpace 2018

In Partnership with NASA

Nov 10, 2018, 09:00 PM Rice Cinema $12.00 Get Tickets

Finalists of the fourth annual CineSpace international competition, a collaborative project of the Houston Cinema Arts Society and NASA. The event features the announcement of the three top winners selected by Academy Award© nominated director Richard Linklater. NASA will also award two special prizes for films that best depict Innovation and Inclusion in Science and Technology and the Concept of “Moon, Mars and Beyond”. Entries are competing for a total of $26,000 in prizes.

Films containing NASA-captured imagery collected throughout the agency’s 60-year history were judged on creativity, innovation and attention to detail—the same hallmarks of spaceflight. The competition was open to all filmmakers, both professional and aspiring. The chosen films, all under ten minutes in length, are a wide variety of narrative, documentary, and experimental film genres.

Sleep

Film Best Depicting the Concept of "Moon, Mars, and Beyond"

Orest Smylanets, Ukraine, 2018, 3:29

Fullness of knowledge always means some understanding of the depths of our ignorance. This movie is dedicated to Robert Andrews Millikan.

Country, Year Ukraine, 2018
DirectorOrest Smylanets
LanguageUkranian
Runtime3 MINS, 29 SECS
GenreCineSpace, Experimental
Event TypeCompilation

Juanita: Beyond the Borders

Film Best Depicting Innovation and Inclusion in Science and Technology

Elena Franco, Mexico, 2018, 9:58

Juanita manages to turn her dreams into reality.

in 1985, Juanita was one of 16 Mexican women semifinalists in a contest that chose the first Mexican astronaut.  A pioneer for Mexican women, she created an opening for females in a field heretofore dominated by men.

Country, Year Mexico, 2018
DirectorElena Franco
LanguageSpanish
Runtime9 MINS, 58 SECS
GenreCineSpace, Documentary
Event TypeCompilation

Hall of the Space Kings

Finalist

Elizabeth McKeon, United States, 2018, 5:22

Just another day in the life of an astronaut.

Country, Year United States, 2018
DirectorElisabeth McKeon
LanguageEnglish
Runtime5 MINS, 22 SECS
GenreCineSpace, Documentary
Event TypeCompilation

Blackout Day

2nd Place

Graham Uhelski, United States, 2017, 7:29

A mini documentary about peoples' experience on the day of the total solar eclipse, August 21, 2017. A filmmaker collaboration of an incredible celestial event.

Country, Year United States, 2017
DirectorGraham Uhelski
LanguageEnglish
Runtime7 MINS, 29 SECS
GenreCineSpace, Documentary
Event TypeCompilation

Aphelion

Finalist

Sarah Hickey, United States, 2018, 6:38

A human pilot and his alien biologist companion embark on a mission to discover the mystery behind a strange shape in the stars. Along the way they grow closer, sharing commonalities, understanding their differences, and working together to keep their spaceship floating, all while pushing beyond known boundaries into the darkness.

Country, Year United States, 2018
DirectorSarah Hickey
LanguageEnglish
Runtime6 MINS, 38 SECS
GenreAnimation, CineSpace
Event TypeCompilation

Lift Off

Finalist

Kevin Hughes, Ireland, 2018, 7:17

Grace aged 10, is woken up from her dream about going to the moon in a rocket ship by her parents and their friends arguing about the future in the sitting room below.

Country, Year Ireland, 2018
DirectorKevin Hughes
LanguageEnglish
Runtime7 MINS, 17 SECS
GenreNarrative
Event TypeCompilation

Back Home

Finalist

Stela Subashi, Albania, 2018, 2:25

Four year old Lucy travels back to Earth inside her paper-cut spaceship equipped with curiosity and a lot of imagination.

Country, Year Albania, 2018
DirectorStela Subashi
LanguageEnglish
Runtime2 MINS, 25 SECS
GenreAnimation, CineSpace
Event TypeCompilation

Rocketman

Finalist

Charles Baldwin, United States, 2018, 3:47

This is the story of a phone call during John Glenn's 1962 spaceflight.

Country, Year United States, 2018
DirectorCharles Baldwin
LanguageEnglish
Runtime3 MINS, 47 SECS
GenreCineSpace, Documentary
Event TypeCompilation

Particles

Finalist

Neta Ben Ezra, Israel, 2018, 2:45

Music Video for a Hebrew song called "helkikim"- Particles.

The beginning and the end are out there, just hard to find.

Country, Year Israel, 2018
DirectorNeta Ben Ezra
Runtime2 MINS, 45 SECS
GenreCineSpace, Music Video
Event TypeCompilation

Arc

Finalist

Kamil Dymek, Poland, 2018, 6:14

On a distant planet, the last descendant of a dying race awaits his demise when a mysterious life-giving creature crash lands in his world and gives him another chance at survival.

Country, Year Poland, 2018
DirectorKamil Dymek
LanguageEnglish
Runtime6 MINS, 41 SECS
GenreAnimation, CineSpace
Event TypeCompilation

The Visitors

3rd Place

The Visitors, Horacio Rodriguez, United States, 2017, 8:42

An account of how residents of the moon were surprised and inspired by the arrival of the Apollo astronauts.

Country, Year United States, 2017
DirectorHoracio Rodriguez, Susan Spano
LanguageEnglish
Runtime8 MINS, 42 SECS
GenreCineSpace, Comedy
Event TypeCompilation

Tape Machine

Finalist

Aidan Brezonick, United States, 2018, 3:17

An old-fashioned writer, dreaming of distant planets and adventure in the big infinite, discovers that he's already living in the future. The quest for exploration never really ends, it merely changes.

Country, Year United States, 2018
DirectorAidan Brezonick
LanguageEnglish
Runtime3 MINS, 17 SECS
GenreCineSpace, Music Video
Event TypeCompilation

Space Craft

1st Prize

Jan Turek, Prokop Jelinek, Czech Republic, 2018, 4:54

Sampling from his personal archive, Jan Turek takes images, miniatures and other materials collected over three decades and brings them to life in this moving collage - taking us on a journey through the history of space exploration.

Country, Year Czech Republic, 2018
DirectorJan Turek, Prokop Jelinek
LanguageEnglish
Runtime4 MINS, 54 SECS
GenreAnimation, CineSpace
Event TypeCompilation

Oxidation

Finalist

Neta Ben Ezra, Israel, 2018, 1:30

Space is visible from the earth, how would that look like?

Country, Year Israel, 2018
DirectorNeta Ben Ezra
LanguageEnglish
Runtime1 MINS, 30 SECS
GenreCineSpace, Music Video
Event TypeCompilation

Spaceling - Everything is Possible

Finalist

Karsten Pruehl, Germany, 2018, 3:31

The first child in space shares her thoughts and dreams with us.

Country, Year Germany, 2018
DirectorKarsten Pruehl
LanguageEnglish
Runtime3 MINS, 31 SECS
GenreCineSpace, Comedy
Event TypeCompilation