Judith Escalona
Encyclopedia
Judith Escalona is a filmmaker
, writer
, and web site producer
who has founded a number of websites. She has extensive background in new media, film
, television
and print and is a member of the National Association of Latino Independent Producers, and of the New York New Media Association. Escalona teaches film and television production at The City College of the City University of New York
.
Escalona is currently in postproduction on a new innovative feature entitled Bx3M, the story of three Latino youths coming of age in a city going up in flames. She is also a segment producer for Independent Sources on CUNY-TV.
of Puerto Rico and the American Dream (http://www.prdream.com), an online resource on the history, culture and politics of Puerto Rico
and the Puerto Rican Diaspora, and MediaNoche (http://www.medianoche.us), a new media
gallery and digital film
studio offering exhibition space and residencies for artists and filmmakers working with digital media
. Facebook: MediaNoche New Media Gallery and Digital Film Studio. Twitter: MediaNoche2009.
story of a Puerto Rican psychoanalyst
with a long-suppressed identity problem that erupts with some dire consequences. The film is unique in exploring the mental anguish and shame associated with racism
. Stylistically akin to German Expressionism
, with an eye towards Luis Buñuel
, it occupies an absurdist
space that keeps it from descending into the maudlin clichés of realism
. The film stars Jaime Sánchez
, who previously appeared in The Wild Bunch and The Pawnbroker, as the mysterious Dr. Gúzman. The Krutch screened in 2004 and 2005 at the Harlemwood Film Festival, NY and Japan; the Havana Film Festival
; Loisaida Cortos, NY; and African American Women in Cinema, NY, as well as other festivals. In 2007, The Krutch was featured in the Hispanic New York Film Festival. In 2008, Cemi Underground screened the film in celebration of Women's History Month.
More recently, in the summer of 2007, Escalona completed principal photography for a new film entitled Bx3M, the story of three Latinos youths coming of age in a city going up in flames. Escalona wrote and directed Bx3M which is now in postproduction.
Escalona contributes regularly to VIVA, a publication of the Daily News, and to the Quarterly Black Review. She is the former film critic of the online publication Womensnet.net. In addition, Escalona curates film programs, both on-line and off-line. She curated the Nuyorican Cinema film program, which has been screened in various venues and as part of different film festivals in New York, such as LaCinemaFe and the New York Latino Film and Video Festival. Nuyorican Cinema can be seen online at www.prdream.com, along with two essays by Escalona about this little known part of American independent cinema.
, NY.
As Studio Director of SCTV, she trained students in the craft of television broadcasting, and developed numerous programs for Starrett City's community of over 15,000 residents. These programs included "Sessions", a jazz and Latin jazz television series, which she both produced and directed. Musicians citywide participated in live jam sessions at the studio.
A Poet’s Visit, produced and directed by Ms.Escalona, was one of the first television series to feature urban poets. Recently, Escalona served as a consultant to the government of Bermuda for their new IPTV station, an internet-based television station that launched in September 2007.
Escalona is currently a segment producer for "Independent Sources", a magazine format show on CUNY-TV.
entitled Seva: The History of the First U.S. Invasion of the Island of Puerto Rico, May 1898.
newspapers in the United States
.. In 2010 she was recognized by NY State Senator Bill Perkins with a Women History Month Award Celebrating Women in the Arts; and in 2011 she received an Ippies Journalism Award, winning First Place in the video category for her news piece on Broadway theaters entitled "Color on the Great White Way."
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, and web site producer
Web design
Web design is the process of planning and creating a website. Text, images, digital media and interactive elements are used by web designers to produce the page seen on the web browser...
who has founded a number of websites. She has extensive background in new media, film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
and print and is a member of the National Association of Latino Independent Producers, and of the New York New Media Association. Escalona teaches film and television production at The City College of the City University of New York
City University of New York
The City University of New York is the public university system of New York City, with its administrative offices in Yorkville in Manhattan. It is the largest urban university in the United States, consisting of 23 institutions: 11 senior colleges, six community colleges, the William E...
.
Escalona is currently in postproduction on a new innovative feature entitled Bx3M, the story of three Latino youths coming of age in a city going up in flames. She is also a segment producer for Independent Sources on CUNY-TV.
Web Innovations
Escalona is the founder and executive directorExecutive director
Executive director is a term sometimes applied to the chief executive officer or managing director of an organization, company, or corporation. It is widely used in North American non-profit organizations, though in recent decades many U.S. nonprofits have adopted the title "President/CEO"...
of Puerto Rico and the American Dream (http://www.prdream.com), an online resource on the history, culture and politics of Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
and the Puerto Rican Diaspora, and MediaNoche (http://www.medianoche.us), a new media
New media
New media is a broad term in media studies that emerged in the latter part of the 20th century. For example, new media holds out a possibility of on-demand access to content any time, anywhere, on any digital device, as well as interactive user feedback, creative participation and community...
gallery and digital film
Digital cinematography
Digital cinematography is the process of capturing motion pictures as digital images, rather than on film. Digital capture may occur on video tape, hard disks, flash memory, or other media which can record digital data. As digital technology has improved, this practice has become increasingly common...
studio offering exhibition space and residencies for artists and filmmakers working with digital media
Digital media
Digital media is a form of electronic media where data is stored in digital form. It can refer to the technical aspect of storage and transmission Digital media is a form of electronic media where data is stored in digital (as opposed to analog) form. It can refer to the technical aspect of...
. Facebook: MediaNoche New Media Gallery and Digital Film Studio. Twitter: MediaNoche2009.
Film and Journalism Work
Escalona has worked on a number of films. The Krutch (2004) is a 30-minute, narrative film which she wrote, directed, and edited. It is the surrealSurrealism
Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
story of a Puerto Rican psychoanalyst
Psychoanalysis
Psychoanalysis is a psychological theory developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by Austrian neurologist Sigmund Freud. Psychoanalysis has expanded, been criticized and developed in different directions, mostly by some of Freud's former students, such as Alfred Adler and Carl Gustav...
with a long-suppressed identity problem that erupts with some dire consequences. The film is unique in exploring the mental anguish and shame associated with racism
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
. Stylistically akin to German Expressionism
German Expressionism
German Expressionism refers to a number of related creative movements beginning in Germany before the First World War that reached a peak in Berlin, during the 1920s...
, with an eye towards Luis Buñuel
Luis Buñuel
Luis Buñuel Portolés was a Spanish-born filmmaker — later a naturalized citizen of Mexico — who worked in Spain, Mexico, France and the US..-Early years:...
, it occupies an absurdist
Absurdism
In philosophy, "The Absurd" refers to the conflict between the human tendency to seek value and meaning in life and the human inability to find any...
space that keeps it from descending into the maudlin clichés of realism
Realism (arts)
Realism in the visual arts and literature refers to the general attempt to depict subjects "in accordance with secular, empirical rules", as they are considered to exist in third person objective reality, without embellishment or interpretation...
. The film stars Jaime Sánchez
Jaime Sánchez (actor)
Jaime Sánchez, born December 19, 1938 in Rincón, Puerto Rico, is an actor in theater, films and TV since the 1950s.His film roles include Sidney Lumet's The Pawnbroker , Cornel Wilde's Beach Red and Sam Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch ; his TV appearances include The Fugitive, Kojak and The...
, who previously appeared in The Wild Bunch and The Pawnbroker, as the mysterious Dr. Gúzman. The Krutch screened in 2004 and 2005 at the Harlemwood Film Festival, NY and Japan; the Havana Film Festival
Havana Film Festival
The Havana Film Festival is a Cuban festival that focuses on the promotion of Spanish-language filmmakers. It is also known in Spanish as Festival Internacional del Nuevo Cine Latinoamericano de La Habana, and in English as Festival of New Latinamerican Cinema of La Havana.The festival takes place...
; Loisaida Cortos, NY; and African American Women in Cinema, NY, as well as other festivals. In 2007, The Krutch was featured in the Hispanic New York Film Festival. In 2008, Cemi Underground screened the film in celebration of Women's History Month.
More recently, in the summer of 2007, Escalona completed principal photography for a new film entitled Bx3M, the story of three Latinos youths coming of age in a city going up in flames. Escalona wrote and directed Bx3M which is now in postproduction.
Escalona contributes regularly to VIVA, a publication of the Daily News, and to the Quarterly Black Review. She is the former film critic of the online publication Womensnet.net. In addition, Escalona curates film programs, both on-line and off-line. She curated the Nuyorican Cinema film program, which has been screened in various venues and as part of different film festivals in New York, such as LaCinemaFe and the New York Latino Film and Video Festival. Nuyorican Cinema can be seen online at www.prdream.com, along with two essays by Escalona about this little known part of American independent cinema.
Television
Escalona has worked in broadcast, cable, and corporate television, having both produced or directed more than 50 productions of various genres. She was project director in the creation of Starrett City Television (SCTV), a television broadcast facility located in BrooklynBrooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, NY.
As Studio Director of SCTV, she trained students in the craft of television broadcasting, and developed numerous programs for Starrett City's community of over 15,000 residents. These programs included "Sessions", a jazz and Latin jazz television series, which she both produced and directed. Musicians citywide participated in live jam sessions at the studio.
A Poet’s Visit, produced and directed by Ms.Escalona, was one of the first television series to feature urban poets. Recently, Escalona served as a consultant to the government of Bermuda for their new IPTV station, an internet-based television station that launched in September 2007.
Escalona is currently a segment producer for "Independent Sources", a magazine format show on CUNY-TV.
Translator
As authorized translator, she translated the popular Puerto Rican literary work of Luis López NievesLuis López Nieves
Luis López Nieves is one of the most influential and best-selling Puerto Rican authors ever. He has won the National Literature Prize on two occasions: first, in 2000, with his book of historical short stories ; second, in 2005, with his novel . He published two other books including Seva, and ...
entitled Seva: The History of the First U.S. Invasion of the Island of Puerto Rico, May 1898.
Awards
In 2000, Escalona was designated a "Distinguished Latina" by El Diario/La Prensa; this ranks among the oldest Spanish languageSpanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
newspapers in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.. In 2010 she was recognized by NY State Senator Bill Perkins with a Women History Month Award Celebrating Women in the Arts; and in 2011 she received an Ippies Journalism Award, winning First Place in the video category for her news piece on Broadway theaters entitled "Color on the Great White Way."
See also
- List of Puerto Rican writers
- List of Famous Puerto Ricans
- Puerto Rican literature
- Luis López NievesLuis López NievesLuis López Nieves is one of the most influential and best-selling Puerto Rican authors ever. He has won the National Literature Prize on two occasions: first, in 2000, with his book of historical short stories ; second, in 2005, with his novel . He published two other books including Seva, and ...