When I made July Moon, I was captivated by a story the world had nearly forgotten — the lost NASA tapes of the Apollo missions, the raw footage of one of humanity’s greatest achievements gathering dust in someone’s garage for over two decades. That experience made one thing crystal clear to me: the moon is not just a destination, it is a mirror of who we are as a people. July Moon told the story of those lost tapes and the man who kept them hidden for more than twenty years — a reminder that even our most extraordinary moments can slip through the cracks of history if we’re not careful.

That’s why NASA’s Artemis program fills me with such hope and urgency. The spirit of Apollo — the bravery of those first men on the moon and the American dream that put them there — deserves not just to be remembered, but to be continued. Artemis II, launching no earlier than April 2026, will carry four astronauts around the Moon, including the first woman and first person of color to reach lunar distance. As a filmmaker, I know that every great story needs a sequel worthy of the original. Artemis is exactly that — and this time, we won’t let the tapes get lost.