Yuri Alves is a self-taught, award-winning filmmaker, born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to Portuguese parents. Raised in Newark, New Jersey, Yuri grew up fascinated by cinema and started to experiment in Kearny high school by creating narrative and documentary films including the "world's first" 9/11 documentary. Alves has gone on to write and direct television, commercials, and short films in the USA and Europe. Alves has gone on to write and direct television, commercials, and short films in the USA and Europe. Yuri Alves directed two primetime dramatic series, starring Diogo Morgado (The Bible), "Tempo Final" (2010), and "Filha de Lei" (2017), both to critical acclaim and is currently in post-production on the new series "RZR" (2023), starring series creator David Bianchi with a cast that includes Hollywood veterans Danny Trejo, Bafta nominee Mena Suvari and Emmy winner Richard Cabral to name a few.
Alves's short films have been screened at prestigious festivals such as Raindance, HBO NY Latino Film Festival, Montclair Film Festival, Cannes Film Festival, Lincoln Center, and Tribeca Cinemas. Alves's most renowned shorts include, "Grind" (which picked up an Emmy in 2022), "On the Cusp", "Broken Clouds", and "Exit Road" which are all available on Amazon Prime.
In 2018, Alves's feature screenplay "Ironbound" was a semi-finalist at the Sundance Screenwriters Lab. Alves earned a bachelor's degree in Media Arts from New Jersey City University. Alves won his second Emmy in 2022 for "Emerge", a live concert film he directed featuring the world-renowned New Jersey Symphony Orchestra led by Maestra Xian Zhang. The trilogy was picked up by PBS and has garnered acclaim for its enthralling visual approach, powerful message, and timeless music.
EMAIL | YURI@YURIALVES.COM