Director: Viral Short Documentary on Hurricane Maria

Candlelight is a nine-minute experimental documentary created in response to Hurricane Maria’s devastating impact on Puerto Rico. Designed to challenge dominant media narratives around the storm and its aftermath, the film blended historical fiction, original documentary footage, and sampled social and news media to reveal the disconnect between public perception and lived experience.

As writer, director, and producer, I led the project from concept through production, assembling a young filmmaking team and shaping the film’s creative direction, narrative structure, and visual approach. The result was a socially driven short documentary that resonated widely online, gaining more than half a million collective views across Instagram, YouTube, and Vimeo, with additional distribution through reposts and platform downloads, including by @yosoymolusco.

The film premiered in Puerto Rico at the Rincón International Film Festival, where it won Best of Fest, Best Short Doc, and Audience Choice. It also screened off-competition at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival and was featured at the Atlanta Underground Film Festival, WIFT Atlanta Short Film Showcase, Rhode Island International Film Festival, and Portland Film Festival. Additional honors included Best Short Doc and Best Female Representation.