ORLANDO, Fla. – The legacy of what was once the largest radio telescope in the world continues in a new film by Puerto Rican filmmaker Andrew Hernández.
“It was very sad to see that dream collapse but that’s why I was very strategic with the movie,” Andrew Hernández said.
The 90-minute film, titled “The Biggest Dream,” tells the story of the rise and fall of Puerto Rico’s iconic Arecibo observatory — considered an engineering wonder. The film has its Florida premiere on Friday, April 14, at the Dr. Phillips Center for Performing Arts. It’s part of the UCF Celebrates the Arts festival.
“For me, it’s a very humble experience that we are here in Florida because in Florida there are many people that are Puerto Ricans, from the island that got that experience when they were a kid,” Hernández recalled.
Hernández said there was little funding for production, but “The Biggest Dream” was made possible with almost 300 volunteers — the majority native of Puerto Rico.
“Because we had very little resources, we had to come up with very creative ideas to tell the story, but people were so motivated. It’s a dream that will keep going on even though we don’t have the instrument right now,” he said.
A dream that came crashing down Dec. 1, 2020, when two cables that supported the telescope’s 900-ton receiver snapped, causing it to collapse onto the reflector dish. For Hernández, the making of the film was personal and part of his heritage.
“All of us, when were kids, used to go there in school trips, to study science, to learn more about space, so it was a huge inspiration for science topic all around the island for all of the kids,” he said.
The young filmmaker said he hopes the film inspires others to keep dreaming big.
“To stay curious, be inspired because we were able to do these kinds of discoveries, but it was because of the people. The instruments was there but because the people were curious enough, they used this instrument to get huge discoveries,” he said.
For almost six decades, the telescope served as a beacon of science and groundbreaking discoveries. Located one hour west of San Juan, the Arecibo Observatory’s 1,000-foot-wide radio telescope was one of the most powerful radio telescopes in the world.
“I’m just a filmmaker. But for me, it’s my way of saying thank you to all those scientists,” Hernández said. “It’s the people that is the real legacy. The instrument was big, but the dream of the scientists, the dream of the people were bigger.”
Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: