In 2026, the Prix Ars Electronica jury recognised “Aferrado” by Esteban Azuela (Computer Animation) with an Award of Distinction.
In the violent streets of Mexico City, Joel leads a double life fixing car engines by day and getting his hands dirty by night. Now, he must repair the toughest machine of all: his own shattered existence. Based on real events in Mexico City 1994, Joel, a car mechanic, fixes other people's machines but never his own.
About Esteban Azuela
Esteban Azuela (MX) . From hand drawing to complex transmedia pieces, Esteban Azuela experiments with the narrative possibilities of visual art, in an atypical space between fiction, documentary, and dialogue with other disciplines.
Programme information from Prix Ars Electronica Archive. Short excerpt quoted for reference; see the original page for full text, images and credits.