
Rudy Valdez
Rudy Valdez is an Emmy Award-winning Michigan-raised, New York City-based filmmaker committed to creating social, cultural, and political stories through a cinematic and meaningful lens. The Sentence (HBO), shot and directed by Valdez over the course of a decade, tells the very personal story of his sister’s plight in the criminal justice system while tackling subjects like mandatory minimums and sentencing reform. The Sentence won Valdez the 2019 Primetime Emmy Award for Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking and the US Documentary Audience Award at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. Valdez’s most recent project, ReOpening Night, is a feature film about The Public Theater’s staging of a beloved New York City institution, Shakespeare in the Park. It premiered on HBO Max in December.
Behind the camera
- 2025Eyes on the Prize III: We Who Believe in Freedom Cannot Rest 1977-2015Director1 ep.
- 2024ChoirDirector, Executive Producer6 ep.
- 2021Through Our EyesDirector1 ep.
- 2021We Are: The Brooklyn SaintsCinematography, Director, Executive Producer4 ep.
- 200930 for 30Director, Director of Photography1 ep.