Short Film by Theatre Ed Grad Student Wins Int’l Prize

A still from Aleks, a prize-winning short film made by graduate student Andrea Ríos.

A short film by an Emerson College Theatre Education graduate student won a prize in an international film festival.

Andrea Ríos won Best International Documentary at the Girona Film Festival in Cataluna, Spain, for Aleks, a documentary short that incorporates dance.

Ríos addresses abuse in families, and describes her film: “When life within our own family changes radically after unfortunate events, we can act as if nothing happened or take a courageous path of independence. It is through the expression of body and movement that audiences feel the main character’s soul.” Ríos served as director, producer, choreographer, and dancer for the film.

Ríos said she was motivated to make the film because “I want a stronger commitment and solidarity among women. I want talented artists to be capable of speaking out about painful things that happen to other women. I want to raise the awareness of abuse.”

Ríos is a director, dancer, actor, and teacher who hails from Monterrey, Mexico, where she has worked with several renowned dance companies and was awarded Best Dancer by the Festival del Baile 2010. She has won grants from the Mexican Arts Council (FORCA).

Ríos worked with a number of artists from Spain, Canada, and Mexico to complete the film.