Chelo Alvarez-Stehle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Chelo Alvarez-Stehle
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Alvarez-Stehle in Bengal, India, in 2000.
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María Consolación Álvarez González
1957 Logroño, Spain
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| Occupation | Filmmaker, journalist and author |
Chelo Alvarez-Stehle is a Spanish-American journalist and documentary filmmaker. She is famous for making films that help protect people's rights. Her best-known film is Sands of Silence, which won a major award from the Los Angeles Press Club.
Chelo has received many awards for her work. In 2022, she won the "Equality Award Teresa León Goyri" from her hometown of Logroño, Spain. This award recognized her career as a journalist, writer, and filmmaker dedicated to fighting for women's rights and safety. The award is named after María Teresa León Goyri, a famous Spanish writer and activist.
In 2023, she also received the "Human Rights Award" from the government of La Rioja, Spain. This award honored her lifelong work in defending human rights through her films and writing. Her documentaries, like 'Tin Girls' and 'Sands of Silence', have been praised for bringing attention to important issues like the exploitation of children and women.
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Personal Life and Education
Chelo Alvarez-Stehle was born in Logroño, Spain. Her father, Domingo Álvarez Ruiz de Viñaspre, was a surgeon and a senator. She first studied medicine at the University of Navarra and the University of Zaragoza but decided to follow a different path.
In 2020, she married Mark Stehle, an economist who was also her partner in producing films. Mark was the son of artist Evelyn Stehle and scientist Philip Stehle. Chelo and Mark's daughter, Sangita Stehle, is a student of neuroscience.
Career as a Journalist and Filmmaker
Early Career in Japan
In 1991, Chelo moved to Tokyo, Japan, after winning a special training program. There, she helped develop documentaries for a major Japanese company. She also worked as an editor for International Press en español, the first Spanish-language weekly newspaper in Japan. Later, she became a reporter for the Spanish newspaper El Mundo.
Moving to California
In 1995, Chelo moved to California. She continued to write for El Mundo and other magazines. She focused on stories about social issues and women's rights. To support her filmmaking, she also worked as a professional translator, helping to translate books and museum guides.
Making Important Documentaries
Chelo's work as a journalist led her to filmmaking. She wanted to tell powerful stories that could create change.
Tin Girls (Niñas de Hojalata)
In 2003, one of Chelo's reports about protecting children in the Himalayas was turned into a documentary called Tin Girls. The film, directed by Miguel Bardem, showed the dangers that young girls faced. Chelo worked as an interviewer and consultant for the film. After filming, she helped create the Masala Project, which gave jobs to women and girls who had escaped difficult situations.
Sands of Silence: Waves of Courage
In 2016, Chelo directed her first major feature-length documentary, Sands of Silence: Waves of Courage. This powerful film tells the stories of people who have experienced great harm and shows their journey to heal. The film explores why it is so important to protect people, especially children, from being hurt.
The film was shown at many important places, including the United Nations in New York and the European Parliament. It has also been screened at universities like Oxford and Yale. Sands of Silence has won many awards around the world for its brave and honest storytelling.
Through The Wall
Also in 2016, Chelo produced a short film called Through The Wall. It tells the story of a family separated by the border between Mexico and the United States. The film was shown by The Guardian and PBS Digital Studios and won several awards.
Awards and Recognition
Chelo Alvarez-Stehle has won many awards for her work in journalism and filmmaking.
- Human Rights Award (2022): Given by the government of La Rioja, Spain, for her lifelong work defending human rights.
- Equality Award (2022): From the City of Logroño for her fight for women's rights and safety.
- Best Feature Documentary (2017): For Sands of Silence from the Los Angeles Press Club.
- Best Web Series (2016): For Through The Wall at the Imagen Awards.
- Asserting Women's Rights Award (2016): For Sands of Silence at the Málaga Film Festival in Spain.
Selected Works
Documentary Films
- Tin Girls (2003): About protecting children in the Himalayas.
- The Power of 2 (2006): A short film about a group of Cubans.
- Sold in America (2009): A short film about the exploitation of people in the U.S.
- Sands of Silence: Waves of Courage (2016): A feature film about survivors of abuse.
- Through the Wall (2016): A short film about a family divided by the U.S.-Mexico border.
- Green SuperHeroes 2030 (2024): A film about young environmentalists changing the world.
Books
- Regiones Imaginarias (2022): Chelo wrote a chapter in this book about imaginary places in literature.
- Periodismo, Derechos Humanos, Migración y Fronteras (2017): Chelo contributed a chapter about her film Sands of Silence.
See also
In Spanish: Chelo Alvarez-Stehle para niños
