BOTóN FILMS
Ecuadorian film production company founded in 2019 by Joe Houlberg Silva. It seeks new production models that respond to the realities of filmmaking in Ecuador and Latin America, focusing on auteur-driven projects that take creative risks in both content and form.
Notable projects include:
OZOGOCHE (2023), which had its world premiere at IDFA and was later screened at festivals including Havana, Guadalajara, Slovenia, Margaret Mead (NY), Docs Against Gravity (Poland), DokFest (Munich), and FICCI (Cartagena), where it won Best Documentary, earning Oscar eligibility;
AVE (2023), a short film that premiered at TIFF and was subsequently shown at festivals worldwide;
HIEDRA (2025), premiering as part of the official selection of the Venice Biennale in the Orizzonti section. This international co-production received support from the Ecuadorian National Production Fund (IFCI), the Ibermedia Co-Production Fund, France’s CNC Aide aux cinémas du monde, Mexico’s EFICINE, and a Catalan production fund. It was also part of Cinemart in Rotterdam, BrLab in Brazil, Ikusmira Berriak, and the San Sebastián Co-Production Forum.
The company is currently developing AMAPOLA (2026), which participated in the Locarno Open Doors Hub, received the Ibermedia Co-Development Fund, and recently won the Ecuadorian Production Fund from IFCI; and PITE Y PASE (2026), the debut feature documentary by director Andrés Cornejo, whose short films have premiered at festivals such as IDFA, HotDocs, and EDOC.
team
Ana Cristina Barragán
Director
Filmography
Ana Cristina Barragán (Quito, 1987) is a screenwriter and film director. Her debut feature, Alba (2016), premiered at the Rotterdam International Film Festival, where it received an award, and earned an Honorable Mention at the San Sebastián Film Festival. Alba went on to win over 35 international awards, was Ecuador’s official submission to the Academy Awards, and was featured in the Latin American cinema showcase at MoMA in New York.
Her second feature, La Piel Pulpo (2022), premiered at San Sebastián and was selected for festivals including Thessaloniki, Guadalajara, and Munich. It received six Colibrí Awards from the Ecuadorian Film Academy and was part of the 2024 Platino Awards.
Ana has directed several short films, including Ave (TIFF 2023) and Domingo Violeta (Locarno, 2010). In 2025, she premieres her third feature, Hiedra, in the Orizzonti section of the Venice Biennale.
She is currently developing her fourth feature, Amapola, a series titled La Costra y la Miel, her first documentary, and various projects involving analog photography and writing.
Joe houlberg
Director / Producer
Filmography
Joe Houlberg Silva studied film at the Universidad San Francisco de Quito and at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He works as a director, assistant director, and producer, known for his contributions to acclaimed Ecuadorian films that have premiered at major festivals such as Rotterdam, San Sebastián, and Venice. In 2019, he founded Botón Films, a company dedicated to developing and producing independent Ecuadorian cinema. His films have participated in and received support from prestigious institutions including CNC Aide aux cinémas du monde, IDFA Bertha Fund, Cinemart, Ikusmira Berriak, and Ibermedia, among others.
He is currently involved in several significant projects, including his first documentary Ozogoche (2023), which premiered at IDFA and won Best Documentary at FICCI, and Hiedra (2025), set to premiere in the Orizzonti section of the Venice Biennale, as well as Amapola (2027), where he serves as producer—both directed by acclaimed Ecuadorian filmmaker Ana Cristina Barragán. His recent short film as a producer, Ave (2023), premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).
In addition to his active work in filmmaking, Joe also teaches film at USFQ and contributes actively to the Ecuadorian film community.
Andres Cornejo
Producer
Filmography
Andrés Cornejo Pinto is an Ecuadorian filmmaker and producer with a Master’s in Directing from the DocNomads program. His work focuses on artistic, multidisciplinary, and collaborative experimentation. He edited Light Memories, directed by Misha Vallejo. He has produced three feature documentaries and several short films. His productions have received grants from international institutions such as the IDFA Bertha Fund and the Doha Film Institute. He produced and co-wrote the film Ozogoche, which premiered in the Luminous section at IDFA in 2023.
His films as a director have been presented at international festivals such as IDFA, Sheffield DocFest, FICCI, Docaviv, and Hot Docs. He is a professor at Universidad San Francisco de Quito and is currently developing two new feature films, Ecos de los Mundos and Pite y Pase. He is also producing Amago de un incendio, directed by Oscar Illingworth.