‘The Space Race’ Co-Director Diego Hurtado de Mendoza On Letting Untold Black History Take Flight — Monterrey International Film Festival
deadline.comSince NASA’s conception just over six decades ago, 600 astronauts have traveled to space, yet only 18 have been Black Americans.
Hindered in equal parts by racial discrimination and the lack of educational and economic resources given to the Black community in the space administration’s formative years led to a significant racial disparity among those who aimed to reach for the stars.
In National Geographic Documentary Films‘, The Space Race, co-directors Lisa Cortés and Diego Hurtado de Mendoza highlight the staggering aeronautic achievements of NASA’s pioneering Black astronauts who dared to push past the racial boundaries of exploring space’s final frontier.
Hurtado de Mendoza spoke with Deadline about the importance of uncovering Black history in aerospace while in attendance during the documentary’s Latin American premiere at the 2023 Monterrey International Film Festival. “What causes me to reflect is that I think in the world, in the U.S.
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