Carlos López Estrada


Carlos López Estrada is a Mexican-American filmmaker, music video director, commercial director, theatre director, and actor. Born in Mexico, he moved to the United States when he was 12 and later enrolled at Chapman University.
He made his feature film directorial debut in 2018 with Blindspotting, which premiered opening night at Sundance 2018 and was subsequently released by Lionsgate Entertainment. His second film, Summertime, premiered opening night of Sundance 2020 and was released in July 2021. Carlos' third film, Raya and the Last Dragon, was released by Disney in March 2021 and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature at the 94th Academy Awards. In November 2022, Carlos López Estrada founded Antigravity Academy: a production company and artist development platform dedicated to supporting emerging filmmakers and reimagining pathways into the film industry.

Film

López Estrada directed a short film titled Identity Theft based on a one-act play written by Andrew Rothschild. It stars stage veterans Bill Irwin and Kate Burton. The film premiered at the 2015 Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films.
López Estrada directed his first feature film in 2017, Blindspotting, starring Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal. The film, released in 2018, is semi-autobiographical and based on Diggs and Casal's lives in a rapidly gentrifying Oakland.
In October 2019, Walt Disney Animation Studios announced that they were developing a feature film with López Estrada. López Estrada was also set to direct a live-action/CGI remake of Disney's Robin Hood. López Estrada was confirmed to direct Raya and the Last Dragon with Don Hall. López Estrada left Disney in early 2022. In July 2022, López Estrada joined Nexus Studios.
On October 31, 2022, López Estrada was announced to write and direct the live-action adaptation of Your Name for Paramount Pictures and Bad Robot, replacing Marc Webb and Lee Isaac Chung.
In October 2025, the Oscar-nominated filmmaker completed principal photography on his latest feature, DED, a silent film in which he also stars alongside Camila Mendes and Eugenio Derbez. DED follows the journey of a recently deceased young man struggling to undo his fate as he watches his soulmate — and the world — spin on without him. Featuring original musical numbers and told entirely without dialogue, the film was shot and takes place in López Estrada’s vibrant hometown of Mexico City, exploring the profound relationship between Mexican culture and death. The film is scheduled for release in 2026.

Production Company

Carlos López Estrada launched Antigravity Academy in November 2022 as a production company and artist development platform built to uplift emerging filmmakers and challenge traditional routes into the film industry.
Launched in 2023, Antigravity’s Screenwriters Camp, is a program that helps first-time feature filmmakers develop their debut projects, under the mentorship of industry veterans. With the intention to create new pathways for artists who have historically lacked access to traditional industry networks, the program kicks off with a week-long intensive in the spring and will then see writers go through several months of continued development of their works through additional drafts, virtual sessions, and a dedicated period of industry exposure.
In 2024, Antigravity partnered with Dolby Laboratories to launch a new studio, designed to amplify the voices of emerging filmmakers. Powered by Dolby Creator Lab, Antigravity’s Short Film Studio will provide filmmakers with access to the technologies of Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos in the making of a short film, along with Antigravity’s hands-on development and production support. It is open to U.S.-based filmmakers over the age of 18 who have no prior feature film or television experience. Each creative participating will receive a $35,000 production grant. In their inaugural year, two films produced through the Short Film Studio were selected for major film festivals: Marga en el DF, directed by Gabriela Ortega, which premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival and was also selected for the 2025 SXSW Film Festival, and Albatross, directed by Amandine Thomas, which premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival.

Experiential Work

In 2024, López Estrada served as director for a series of immersive films created for UFC 306 at the Sphere in Las Vegas, the venue’s first live sporting event. The six-chapter film, For Mexico, For All Time, produced through his company Antigravity Academy in collaboration with Nexus Studios, was presented on the Sphere’s interior LED display as part of the event’s visual programming and incorporated themes of Mexican history and cultural identity.

Music videos

López Estrada directed his first music video at just 19, when he directed a video for a song called Heaven by Spinlight City. The song went viral on MySpace and he directed a few videos for the band for 2 years.
since then he directed videos for a variety of artists, including clipping., Thundercat, Flying Lotus, Hook n Sling, Goo Goo Dolls, Reptar, Passion Pit, El Sportivo & The Blooz, MYPET, Saint Motel, Maximum Balloon, Bowerbirds, Capital Cities and many more.
In 2011, López Estrada directed a music video for Mexican pop band Jesse & Joy of their song "Me Voy." The video, which uses stop motion and found the production team trimming 2900 photographs in order to create the sequences included, earned the title of Best Short Form Music Video at the 13th Annual Latin Grammy Awards in 2012. López Estrada also directed "Chocolate" from Electricidad for Jesse & Joy.
In 2013, López Estrada co-directed a music video for Capital Cities’ "Kangaroo Court" which features American actor Darren Criss and American actress Shannon Woodward.
López Estrada directed five videos for the experimental rap group clipping.’s major label debut titled CLPPNG. López Estrada came in contact with clipping. after befriending Jonathan Snipes, a member of the trio that makes up clipping., while López Estrada was in film school. “Work Work” was the first single from the album. Stereogum detailed López Estrada's work on the videos as being, “ inventive, memorable, and weirdly unsettling experience." This work led to many collaborations with rapper Daveed Diggs, a member of clipping.
In 2015, López Estrada directed a video for Thundercat's "Them Changes", which featured artists Flying Lotus and Kamasi Washington. The song is a part of Thundercat's The Beyond / Where the Giants Roam, which was his first collection of solo material in two years and placed the artist in collaboration with various others, such as Flying Lotus and Kamasi Washington, who each contributed keyboard and saxophone, respectively.
In 2018, López Estrada directed the music video for Billie Eilish's "When the Party's Over".
In 2021, López Estrada directed the music video for Katy Perry's "Electric" song in collaboration with the Pokémon franchise for its 25th anniversary.

Television

In 2018, López Estrada directed the second episode of the final season of Legion, titled "Chapter 21". The episode was released in July 2019.

Theatre

In October 2015, López Estrada starred in an original multimedia theatre show, titled Ded!. based on the Mexican Day of the Dead tradition, which he created and co-directed with Cristina Bercovitz. He and Bercovitz had previously worked together as co-directors on the music video for clipping.’s “GET UP.” The show ran at the Matrix Theatre Company|Matrix Theatre] in Los Angeles and was composed of an ensemble of musicians, actors and puppeteers. The show also featured a guest performance by Bill Irwin. Living Out Loud, Los Angeles praised López Estrada's pantomime and comedic performance in the show.
López Estrada directed a taping of #BARS, a live musical theatre and rap medley workshop in New York City, springing from the culmination of a six-week seminar by Rafael Casal, a poet, writer, rapper and co-creator of #BARS. The film features performances by a variety of artists, including Rafael Casal, rapper Daveed Diggs, poet Sarah Kay and nine more performers from New York City.

Filmography

Film

Creative Leadership
Director
YearTitleEpisode
2019Legion"Chapter 21"

Actor
YearTitleRoleNotes
2006Las dos caras de AnaLucas Sánchez1 episode
2007PasiónClaudio Fernández de la Cueva10 episodes
2026DedDedFilm