Hilton Ariel Ruiz Hilton Ariel Ruiz
Hilton Ariel Ruiz is a native of New York City’s Lower East Side whose passion for cinema began the moment he first saw Martin Scorsese’s Raging Bull. That early spark grew into a lifelong dedication to filmmaking and visual storytelling. After taking his first high school cinema course, Ruiz’s curiosity became an obsession that led him to create short films and continue developing his craft through filmmaking and photography studies in New York.
Driven by a deep fascination with the picture and rhythm of film, Ruiz studied photography at Queensborough Community College and the Fashion Institute of Technology, where he met his mentor, acclaimed photographer Jules T. Allen. As he continued to refine his filmmaking skills through New York University and other New York film programs, Ruiz blended formal study with real-world experience, shaping his approach to independent filmmaking.
Ruiz is the founder of FilmBrewery LLC (@FilmbreweryLLC), a New York-based independent production company focused on narrative filmmaking, documentaries, and original media. Through FilmBrewery, he has developed and produced independent projects spanning drama, horror, documentary filmmaking, photography, and digital media.
A defining project in Ruiz’s career was Therapy, a drama about loss and healing in the aftermath of September 11. The film follows a man haunted by the memory of a loved one lost in the World Trade Center as he seeks connection through a support group of strangers bound by tragedy.
As a narrative filmmaker, Ruiz has written and directed projects including Therapy, Zombie with a Shotgun, As It Was Yesterday, 6.6.66 Beyond the Halls of Paradise, Survival, and The Amityville Lost Tape. His work spans drama, suspense, and horror while maintaining an emphasis on character and independent filmmaking.
He is also the creator of Zombie with a Shotgun, which began as a web series and expanded into a feature film, comic book series, and multimedia property. His documentary work includes The Forty Deuce, Sometimes a Mirror: Reflections of the Past, AIR: Ten Years Later, and Art of Erotica, exploring subjects including photography, art, culture, New York history, and personal legacy.
Through FilmBrewery LLC, Ruiz continues to write, direct, produce, and develop independent narrative and documentary projects.
