Andrés Aguilar, also known as ichi, is a director and producer with over 20 years of experience in animation. Since 2010, he has been a partner at MATTE CG, an Ecuador–Mexico based studio where he has led animation, VFX, and original content projects for Marvel, Netflix, Disney+, Apple, and Amazon. Born in the 80s and starting his animation career in the early 2000s, Andrés is passionate about creating from—and for—Ecuador, blending creativity, technical direction, and strategic vision to develop impactful projects with an international reach.

At 16, he founded Club Ichiban, Ecuador’s first manga and anime club, a milestone that shaped his life and defined his path in visual storytelling. A former national representative in amateur GO championships in Japan, China, and Korea, Andrés combines cultural curiosity, tactical thinking, and artistic vision in every project he undertakes. He thrives in general production, finding creative solutions, and knowing when to lead or support another director’s vision to make it shine.

His productions include Afterwork and The Strange Case of the Human Cannonball, the most awarded Ecuadorian animated short films of the last decade, with over 200 selections and 60 international awards, including Annecy, SIGGRAPH, Animayo, Mundos Digitales, Málaga, and Pixelatl. He also co-produced and served as CG supervisor for the animated feature Dalia y el Libro Rojo, released in 2024 and distributed across Europe, Asia, and Latin America. Proud of having built a thriving studio in a challenging environment, Andrés believes in artistic, ethical, and professional commitment—whether directing original IPs like Titan Tofu and Pinkooland, or helping bring other creators’ visions to life.