Judith Escalona Puerto Rican director, writer and Internet producer Country: USA

Judith Escalona: Puerto Rican Filmmaker, Writer, and Internet Producer

Judith Escalona is a Puerto Rican filmmaker, writer, and internet producer who has founded several websites. She has extensive experience in new media, film, television, and print, and is a member of the National Association of Latino Independent Producers and the New York New Media Association. Escalona teaches at City College of the City University of New York, where she lectures on the production of art and television films.

Currently, Escalona is working on an innovative project called 'Bx3M', which tells the story of three young Latin Americans. She also holds the position of segment producer for the program 'Independent Sources' on CUNY-TV. Escalona is the founder and executive director of 'Puerto Rico and the American Dream', a website dedicated to the history, culture, and politics of Puerto Rico and the Puerto Rican diaspora, as well as 'MediaNoche', a digital cinema studio and gallery that provides exhibition spaces for artists and directors working in the digital media field.

Escalona has worked on numerous films, including 'The Krutch' (2004), a half-hour narrative film for which she wrote the screenplay and served as director and editor. This surrealistic story follows a Puerto Rican psychoanalyst struggling with personality suppression, which eventually leads to unpleasant consequences. The film explores mental disorders and the shame associated with racism, and is stylistically linked to German expressionism, reminiscent of the works of Luis Buñuel. 'The Krutch' was shown at various film festivals, including the Harlemwood Film Festival in New York, the Havana Film Festival, and the African American Women in Cinema festival.

In 2007, Escalona completed principal photography for her new film 'Bx3M', for which she also wrote the screenplay and directed. Currently, she is in the post-production phase. In addition to her work in film, Escalona regularly contributes to 'VIVA' and 'Quarterly Black Review', and has previously worked as a film critic for Womensnet.net. She has curated film programs both online and offline, including 'Nuyorican Cinema', which has been featured in various New York film festivals.

Aside from her work in the entertainment industry, Escalona has also served as a consultant for Bermuda's internet television initiative. She has translated works by popular Puerto Rican writer Luis López Nieves, including 'Seva: The History of the First U.S. Invasion of the Island of Puerto Rico, May 1898'.

In recognition of her contributions, Escalona has received several awards. In 2000, she was honored as a 'Distinguished Latina' by 'El Diario/La Prensa', the oldest Spanish-language newspaper in the United States. In 2010, she received the 'Women History Month Award Celebrating Women in the Arts', and the following year, she was awarded the 'Ippies Journalism Award'.