Documentary about the Arecibo Observatory, Biggest dreamwill have its Florida premiere at UCF Celebrates the Arts on April 14 at 7:00 pm in the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in the Alexis and Jim Pugh Theater.
The film is playing in select locations only, and the UCF screening will give audience members a preview of the film before its worldwide release.
The event will also feature a question-and-answer session with the film’s director, Andrew Hernandez Sepulveda.
Participation is free and registration is now open. Early registration is encouraged to ensure seat availability.
This premiere is part of UCF Celebrates the Arts, UCF’s annual festival showcasing creativity, innovation and collaboration. Hosted by UCF’s College of Arts and Humanities, the two-week event features College of Arts and Humanities students, faculty, and alumni from across the university. This year’s festival features 40 events – half of which are free – and exhibitions throughout the centre.
The film tells the story of the rise, fall and future of the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico. Long considered an engineering marvel, the Arecibo Observatory’s 1,000-foot-wide radio telescope was one of the most powerful radio telescopes in the world. His legacy extends beyond science and has become a pop culture icon thanks to his film appearances Golden eye and Contact.
Until the collapse of the radio telescope in 2020, the observatory was responsible not only for protecting our planet from near-Earth asteroids, but also for unraveling some of the deepest mysteries of space. It has also helped inform some of NASA’s most advanced missions, including DART and OSIRIS-REx. Scientists are still analyzing its treasure trove of accumulated data.
For director Andrew Hernandez Sepulveda, the film is personal not only because he grew up in Puerto Rico, but also because of his family’s connection to the observatory.
“On the island, schools have a tradition of taking children in science class on a school trip to the Arecibo Observatory to learn astronomy and explore,” says Hernández Sepúlveda. “Not only that, but there’s an even bigger sentimental family approach to me. My grandfather worked mixing cement in the construction of the Arecibo observatory 57 years ago. It was very important to tell the full story of this amazing instrument and its legacy, from the workers on the island of Puerto Rico to the scientists around the world who made incredible discoveries at this iconic facility.”
For the site director of the Arecibo Observatory, Olga Figueroa, the documentary is important because it helps convey the legacy of the Arecibo Observatory to a wider audience.
“Arecibo has always dreamed big,” she says. “We will continue to do so and hope to see a well-established and vibrant STEM education center in Arecibo that will bring new and innovative opportunities to the local and international community.” Furthermore, we hope to see that in the near future the science and research component can be integrated for the benefit of Puerto Rico and for the benefit of future generations as well.”
About UCF celebrates the arts
Partnership, one of UCF’s longstanding values, is brought front and center at UCF Celebrates the Arts, with many events showcasing the university’s collaborative nature. The festival features partnerships with community organizations such as the Orlando Repertory Theater and the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra and internal, interdisciplinary initiatives that demonstrate the innovative results of infusing creativity into STEM disciplines and vice versa. This partnership with the UCF Office of Research includes the best of both.
To learn more about UCF Celebrates the Arts, please visit arts.ucf.edu/celebrates.