Alumni News

Oct 28, 2025

Yarilis Ramos wins Best Short film, Best Female Director and two best actress awards in GA latino FF. And screened in big national PR fest

by Issack Cintrón

Yarilis Ramos López, an alumna of Stony Brook University’s MFA film program, has found success on the film festival circuit with her thesis film, “Mulata”, which has been selected to six festivals thus far. In early October, the short film scored wins for Best Female Director, Best Shortfilm [sic] Actress, Best Supporting Actress and Best Short Film at the Georgia Latino International Film Festival.

“It’s been a roller coaster,” Ramos López said. “As a lot of filmmakers know, it’s probably one ‘yes’ and nine ‘no’s’ for every ten festivals you submit to. But all of the sudden, you’re in these festivals and you see people appreciating the work that you went through, and all of the rejections just feel a bit less daunting.”

Ramos López conceived of “Mulata” during her first semester at Stony Brook University. A native Puerto Rican herself, she observed that some Nuyoricans demonstrated a tendency to perpetuate “this ideology where skin color defines your culture”.

“It was me trying to remind Puerto Ricans that we are allowed to live our culture no matter our skin color, no matter what we look like,” Ramos López said.

“We are all coming from mulattos who struggled so hard to create their own identity and to live both of their truths. It’s also a letter to mixed children, mixed adults and mixed families around the world who don’t feel like they fit in any of their cultures.”

The film, set in 1850, follows 13-year old Adina, a “mulata” hidden away by her family to conceal her mixed heritage. After discovering La Bomba, a dance tied to her African roots, she faces rejection due to her complexion. As her passion for Bomba dancing intensifies, she finds herself at a crossroads; return to the safety of remaining hidden or live authentically in her cultural identity despite the potential risks.

Production for “Mulata” took place over five days in Puerto Rico, at a house in San Germán from the 1800s and on the beaches of Vega Baja. According to Ramos López, the project “could not be done anywhere else.” With the exception of the film’s producer and fellow Stony Brook MFA film alumnus, Nnamdi Nwosa, the entire cast and crew were native to the island, with many volunteering to work on the project. “Mulata” was even scored by Bomba musician William Cepeda, of the famed “Familia Cepeda” of Puerto Rico.

“Everybody who [worked on the film] believed in the story which was such a blessing,” Ramos López said. “We reached out to people and they saw our passion and saw the story and were like ‘Yes, we want in.’”

As the film continues its festival run, Ramos López defines herself as “hustling,”splitting time working for a marketing company and various jobs in the film industry. Over the summer of 2025, Ramos López was hired by filmmaker Julio Roman to be production coordinator on his upcoming feature film.

https://www.instagram.com/mulata.film.pr/

Doug Forrester’s feature “Carry the Darkness” has been finding success on the festival circuit.