The Escape

Directed by Natalia Rivas

Type of Film: Drama
Length of Film: 15:41
Producers: Natalia Rivas
Editor: Morgan Kern
Cinematography: Peter Pascucci

Plagued by the constant abuse of her husband and the fear that he'll do the same to her daughter, a battered wife grapples with a difficult decision: should she try to escape?

Undergraduate
natalia.rivas@nyu.edu

Natalia Rivas is raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. She graduated NYU's Class of 2017 Tisch School of the Arts in Film/TV and double minoring in producing and business entertainment. At NYU she produced over 13 films which received awards in the festival circuit.

In The Escape, Natalia explores an abusive relationship. The subject matter of an abusive relationship and how the protagonist, Anna, copes with it is one she's very interested in exploring. Rather than victimizing Anna, she was especially interested in portraying a strong, independent woman who demonstrates strength in this dire situation. Anna and her daughter, Stephanie, have a special bond and this bond gives Anna strength.

Having been raised by a single mother, Natalia was very interested in portraying Anna/Stephanie's special mother/daughter relationship and having personally known individuals who've been faced with domestic violence, it's an issue she's extremely passionate about. It's a topic that needs to be addressed.  Natalia hopes to shed light to this issue through the film.