Filming and photographing in San Juan, Puerto Rico for the project Maria
Cuquis Robledo is an award winner of three Remi Awards (one Gold, two Bronze) from the WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival in directing, cinematography and animation. Born and raised in Houston, TX, Cuquis Robledo is a filmmaker, video editor, digital storyteller and documentarian, with a background in writing, social media and disability rights. She went to Duke University and graduated with a B.A. in Psychology in 2017 and graduated with a Masters from Elon University through their Interactive Media Program, in May 2019. She is also a member of the Phi Kappa Phi Honors Society, and was inducted to the Elon University chapter.
Cuquis had the opportunity to work for three-and-a-half years at Disability Rights Washington in Seattle, WA for their Rooted in Rights Project. She started out as an intern in 2015, but worked her way up to becoming the Coordinator for their Storytellers Series. Cuquis founded the Storytellers Series in 2016 where she taught people with disabilities how to produce their own advocacy videos. She taught them to write their own script, film, direct, and host their videos, while she worked with the Rooted in Rights team to edit the Storyteller videos. In addition, as a person with a disability herself, she directed, produced, edited, filmed and hosted her own content with Rooted in Rights on disability issues that were important to her.
Some of Cuquis’s recent projects include traveling to Bogota, Colombia as the videographer, director and video editor on her team to create videos for a new website for the organization, Proyectos Tecnovo, two of which won a Remi Award at the 52nd Annual WorldFest-Houston.
Interviewing reporter from WIPR Channel 6, Mayra Acevedo, in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
She also recently created an interactive multimedia documentary called Maria, which was on the effects of Hurricane Maria on the people of Puerto Rico. She traveled for 10 days to Puerto Rico to gather stories from the people that were not heard during the hurricane. She interviewed multiple people from all parts of the island, including the Mayor of the municipal, Vega Alta, and reporter Mayra Acevedo, and Meteorologist, Ada Monzon from WIPR-TV news.
Cuquis’s love of film stems from the fact that she advocated for people with disabilities to tell their own authentic stories and share their voices. Often times, the stories of people with disabilities are told by those who don’t have a disability. Film and video offers a platform for not only people with disabilities to share their stories, but for anyone who has a story and a voice. And as someone with a disability, video has helped Cuquis find her own voice.
In her spare time, Cuquis is an avid Latin dancer and has occasionally competed in Latin Dance competitions. She has also become involved in the theater scene in college, has competed three times in the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge, and has a dream of starting her own production company called CPR Studios, because sharing and telling authentic stories gives her life.
