Rudy Valdez is a Michigan-raised, Brooklyn-based filmmaker. He got his start as a camera operator on the Peabody Award-winning Sundance Channel series Brick City and has worked as a cinematographer for directors and producers such as Sebastian Junger, Whoopi Goldberg, Geeta Gandbhir, and Sam Pollard. Ten years in the making, Rudy’s directorial debut The Sentence premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival, winning the US Documentary Audience Award. When not working you can find Rudy at the park with his wife and daughter.

Artist's Chosen Interview: 

Filmmaker Rudy Valdez on His Intimate Family Documentary, 'The Sentence'

Inspirational Resources/Recommendations: 

• My reset button is always documentary photography. No one person in particular - I will simply google documentary photography and go into a wormhole of images. 
• Pick your spots but I love talking to strangers. I love hearing peoples stories and more importantly their journeys. Everyone has a story. 
• TedTalks - I can watch TedTalks all day long - It's a constant reminder that there are people out there with big ideas and that we have so much to learn.

Sundance Archive Interview:

U.S. Documentary Competition: The Sentence