The Current Summer 20

cultural hybridity and love. She chose these
because of their complexity and relation
to her personal experiences. A significant
component of Hidalgo’s work is feminism,
given that she is a feminist filmmaker. She
wants to help women’s voices be heard
around the world. Though films have
featured diverse stories, they are too often
created by people not from those diverse
backgrounds. Films featuring diverse stories
have been told, but not through the eyes
of those whom the story actually belongs
to. Hidalgo understands the necessity of
these stories to be accurately told by
members of those communities who have
the agency to share their experiences. She
is a part of making this hope for change
a reality by exploring underrepresented
stories and learning ways to tell them. She
also explores how navigating different
cultures affects life and belonging because
Hidalgo herself is a member of two distinct
cultures: Venezuela and the United States.
She is intrigued by how cultural hybridity
impacts people’s lives, including her own,
and the lessons that can be learned from
these intersections, especially for those who
might not share her multicultural experience.
Finally, Hidalgo processes the love she
gives and receives from others through
her work. Her subtitle for her production
company, Sabana Grande Productions, is
“Feminist Films for a Kinder World.” Her
films tell heartfelt and often intimate stories
so viewers can appreciate the personal
struggles faced by individuals.
Hidalgo says, “If you see the humanity in
somebody else, and what they go through,
it is a lot harder to hate them. If you can’t
hate others, it is a lot harder to hurt them.”
She hopes her work reveals people’s
humanity and evokes kindness and
empathy from viewers.
One of Hidalgo’s greatest strengths
is her experience of cultures and an
understanding of how they work together.
Her time living in Venezuela and the U.S.
gives her a very unique background and
allows her to bring a fresh perspective to
her films. Her navigation and keen insight
of different cultures and how they interact
give her films a certain depth that is rare in
the industry, though it should not be. She
tells stories that need to be heard but are
intermittently shared in mainstream media.
Hidalgo is also purposeful in who she
hires. She prefers to hire diverse crews who
can enrich her projects with their personal
experiences. These relationships extend
beyond crewmembers and filmmaking.
Hidalgo builds strong friendships with her
crewmembers and strives to connect with
the human behind the employee.
Hidalgo has similar relationships with the
Michigan State University students who
work with her on agnès films. She enjoys
working with undergraduate students
because they are immensely enthusiastic
and interested in the work. She also
enjoys the multi-generational aspect of
working with young adults and learning
new ways to reach audiences. Similar to
her crewmembers, her relationships with
her students transcend school, and she
loves to see how their careers evolve after
graduation. A key goal of agnès films is to
give students opportunities to prepare them
for finding a satisfying and creative job.
The film industry still struggles with diversity
and representation, but advancements are
always being made, especially with the
aid of new technology giving marginalized
voices a new platform. Progress is slow but
not invisible. Even though the road is tough,
people like Alexandra Hidalgo are helping
to create a world where the absence of
representation no longer exists. As a child,
Hidalgo wanted to be a writer, actor and
teacher, and through time and hard work
she found success in work that involves
storytelling and that often places her in front
of and behind the camera. Hidalgo has
found her passion and is actively using it in
filmmaking to make a difference.
To support her and her amazing work, visit
her website alexandrahidalgo.com and
agnesfilms.com.
Katherine Marchlewski is currently a junior
studying professional writing with a focus
on editing and publishing, and minoring in
film studies. After graduating, she hopes to
find a career related to editing and publishing,
ideally with fiction novels. In her spare time,
she enjoys reading, watching movies and scouring Pinterest.
THECURRENTMSU.COM 07