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
Director / Producer
Filmography
Andrés Cornejo Pinto is an Ecuadorian filmmaker, director, editor, and producer whose work moves between documentary and fiction, exploring memory, territory, and the possibilities of sound as a narrative engine. He has participated in international platforms such as IDFA Academy and Berlinale Talents. As a director and creative collaborator, his work has been presented at festivals including IDFA, Sheffield Doc/Fest, and Hot Docs.
He produced the film Ozogoche, directed by Joe Houlberg, which gained Academy Awards eligibility after its recognition at FICCI. He also edited Light Memories by Misha Vallejo, a documentary that has received multiple awards at international festivals.
He is a film professor at the Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ) and teaches in the MA in Creative Documentary at the Universidad de las Artes (UARTES). His practice combines research, creation, and pedagogy, developing projects that engage with history and the cultural resonances of his country. He is currently working on Ecos de los Mundos, a feature film inspired by the 1949 radio broadcast of The War of the Worlds in Quito.