On October 13, 2024, the world watched in awe as a rocket from Elon Musk’s SpaceX successfully launched a spacecraft into orbit and was later retrieved at its launchpad. While this marked a significant achievement in space exploration, it was seen quite differently by the residents of Brownsville, Texas, located near the SpaceX launch site on Boca Chica Beach. In this short documentary, directors Ái Vuong and Samuel Díaz Fernández shed light on how SpaceX and lawmakers have largely ignored the impact on the human and animal populations who have lived on this land long before the company began operations there in 2014. Through breathtaking footage of the coastline and wildlife, paired with interviews from locals, including Native American members of the Carrizo/Comecrudo Tribe, who consider the beach sacred, the filmmakers present a compelling case for considering the environmental footprint SpaceX is leaving as it strives to reach beyond Earth.
Directors: Ái Vuong, Samuel Díaz Fernández
Website: Reel South