Discoveries from Puerto Rico World Cinema

The strange relation between two brothers.

PsiQuis: Un Giro Decolonial is a documentary that presents and discusses the psychological impact that colonialism has had on the Puerto Rican people. The director analyzes the traumas generated in Puerto Rican society by that colonial experience.

A day in the life of an office worker in Puerto Rico.

A group of kids in a poverty-stricken Puerto Rican rural town need money to purchase baseball uniforms for little league.

An experimental dance company integrated by overweight dancers pay homage to Botero's work in their latest production 'More of you to love.' Omy, the lead dancer, has to deal with his low self-esteem when he's asked to perform nude while being confronted with his faith, when his wife-to-be converts.

A young woman gets in trouble for wanting to deny her ethnic ancestry.

A retired grandfather, Manuel, gains legal custody of his 9 year old granddaughter, Irene, following an incident that leaves her mother in the hospital. Manuel must navigate guardianship and old age as his health starts deteriorating, making tough decisions along the way.

A single mother goes out for a run and never returns.

Recreates aspects of the life of Abelardo Díaz Alfaro as a rural teacher in Puerto Rico during 1940's, integrating three of his stories "El josco", "Santa Cló va a la cuchilla", and "Don Fruto Torres".

A naive, teenage girl is swept into court by tragedy when the boy she blindly fell in love with betrays her trust in him.

A movie based on the famous novel "Las Camelias"

Isla chatarra describes the phenomenon of the ubiquity of automobiles in Puerto Rico. The island measures slightly less than 9,000 square kilometers, but has 25,000 kilometers of paved road, one of the highest proportions in the planet. Puerto Rico is one of the countries with the largest number of vehicles per kilometer (of road) and third in the world in number of cars per 1,000 inhabitants. The film was produced with the idea to raise consciousness and create a dialogue about the ongoing situation of our dependence on cars. It also shows the dangerous circumstances of an island that is slowly being covered by scrap metal.

Toña is a Dominican woman who escapes an abusive relationship and leaves her country. Without documents, she makes a new life in Puerto Rico and is about to put her legal status in order. Gregorio, an exiled Cuban doctor, is stuck in Puerto Rico with no legal options to normalize his immigrant status. An accident pushes them into a relationship upon which their future will depend.

Seeking to escape her father's scandal, Epa travels to Taiwan in search of answers from her mother, only to confront herself along the way.

Comedians Luis Raúl and Raymond Arrieta discuss current affairs in the Centro de Bellas Artes de Caguas.

Rebellious Walter drags his reluctant brother to rob the homes of the dead while their wake takes place at their parent’s funeral home.

Based on the supernatural true stories, "Creere" tells the stories of five (5) group of people whose lives are interrupted by supernatural power of God.

Andrea is a young journalist who feels her professional and personal life have come to a halt. But the return of Lorenzo, her former college flame she once dumped, now turned rock star, will give her a new perspective on life, love, and being true to herself.

A tribute to the iconic mega salsa band, Puerto Rico's own, El Gran Combo.

A look back at the wrestling world in Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rican major league baseball player Roberto Clemente, who is shy one hit of 3000, stands before New York Mets player Jon Matlack. During his turn to bat, Clemente recalls his early years in Puerto Rico, when he was first discovered by baseball club owner Pedrín Zorilla.

Short film from Omalik J. Rosado

Deep in the fields of Puerto Rico, two men gunfight over who gets to keep a plantain bunch.

A comedy that satirizes the production of short films.

The location of the dividing line between two farms causes friction between two families.

This film did not make it past the editing process in 1953. It was released four decades later in 1993. Although specialists do not agree on the reason, it's likely that the movie's bitter tone and deviation from the dominant, uplifting DivEdCo narrative were the main reasons. Notable for its portrayal of "El Fanguito," a San Juan urban slum, and of country-city emigration at the dawn of Operation Bootstrap.

Relates the life of one of Puerto Rico's most loved and revered composer and songwriter, Rafael Hernández.

A sailor decides to marry his girlfriend, but her boss is in love with her and orders a beating for her boyfriend. Once the sailor regains consciousness, he is accused of murder and must flee. Once he gets to the port, however, he is beaten again, losing his memory as a consequence.

In prison, frustrated filmmaker Gregory, facing family estrangement, enlists a crew of eccentric inmates to clandestinely shoot his family's favorite stories, aiming to reunite. They navigate challenges, skillfully evading the strict security chief. A quest for redemption unfolds.

During a teenage road trip to the west coast of Puerto Rico, 16-year-old Cristóbal begins to suspect that his crush, Yazmín, and cousin Marcos are secretly seeing each other.

Homage to famed 1950’s Puerto Rican singer, composer, and television personality Bobby Capó.

A father has to confront his own fears in order to understand the uncanny suffering of his only child.

Migue, the oldest member of the band Los Chicos, is kidnapped prior to a show. After the concert, the band receives a call telling them the location where they can rescue Migue. They decide to escape police protection and make their way to the port in hopes of finding him.

Short film from Kemel Jamís

A short documentary about Puerto Rico's most popular 'New Wave' music group.

Laura finds herself caught in the middle of a mysterious murder she didn’t commit. As detectives Verónica and César investigate the case, they come across a series of contradictory pieces of evidence that point toward possible conspiracies against Laura. However, there is one piece of the puzzle that everyone seems to have overlooked: an enigmatic witness who may be the key to solving everything.

A 1960's inspired, supernatural thriller based on true events.

Ramón Rivera Moret remembers Puerto Rico at a utopian moment through the films produced in rural communities in the 1950s and 60s by the Film Unit of the Division of Community Education alongside stories from his own family.

In the Caribbean island of Vieques, climate change is making fishing more difficult. Farmers of the Sea follows the daily life of artisanal and recreational fishermen as they adapt to new challenges to get their catch and notice a decline in fish populations. Pedro and his crew need to go further into the sea to find the lobsters they catch to make a living, and Cecilia, along with her partner, needs to wait longer hours at the pier to barely catch any fish. Meanwhile, younger generations of Viequenses dream of becoming fishermen.

Samuel, the last free-diving fisherman, has lived isolated in the island of La Aguja since he was abandoned by his wife and son 15 years ago. His life is disrupted when his son shows up now as Priscila, a transgender prostitute from the streets of Santa Marta, Colombia.

The music of the Puerto Rican composer Pedro Flores which was televised on Dec. 8, 1996.

Rocío wished to meet someone who could understand her, till the day she met Edgardo.

After the death of her grandfather, a young woman experiences a spiritual awakening when she is called by Yemaya, the orisha Goddess of the Sea

Two young Puerto Ricans, childhood best friends, decide to spend one last day together before one of them moves to the United States in search of a better life. As their departure approaches, they begin to realize that saying goodbye isn't as easy as it seems.

A group of friends are separated by a tragedy, which will eventually reunite them again.

A nostalgic 2014 spring break road trip through the southern U.S., highways, hotels, and fleeting youth, captured in sunlit moments and late-night drives that feel endless.

Rafael, Elmo, and Pablo run away from the strict Catholic retirement home where they live with Carlos, Rafael's grandson, to embark on an adventure and prove life does not stop because of age.

On the day of his best friend’s wedding, Richard, a cynical and detached 30 year-old man, must come to terms, once and for all, with an event from his past that has left him broken and unable to move on.

The Mora family has everything - great jobs, good schools for their kids, a beautiful home, nice cars. They suddenly find themselves facing a financial debacle and losing most of those things. Each member of the family deals with the crisis through their own way: humor, anger, faith, despair or holding on to love.

Presentation of popular and folk music by Puerto Rican composers which aims to exemplify the national characteristics, values, and identify of its people.

Explore the area of Escambrón Beach in San Juan, Puerto Rico, as residents come together to protect its coastline from overdevelopment.

Set in future Puerto Rico, follows Zur'na's quest to rescue her kidnapped brother from US colonial forces, unveiling a system oppressing her people along the way, accompanied by talkative neighbor Vyeñu.

Amidst the isolation of the COVID crisis, a couple's quest to start a family leads them to an adoption journey that brings unexpected joy and healing into their lives.

A young boy becomes intrigued by one of the characters in his village's celebration of its patron saint.

Andrés is a nine year old boy musician who plays the treble. On the way to a recital with his parents and in the midst of endless traffic, he tries to practice the melody he’ll be playing. Frustrated by the traffic, the heat, and that he can’t play the piece correctly, Andrés bursts in anger, throwing his instrument, which stops time as it touches the floor.

The testimonies of some artists on mural painting in Puerto Rico, as well as art historians and curators, offer multiple perspectives of the mural paintings in different geographical areas of the island.

The story of a man who after the death of his wife begins to show signs of Alzheimer's disease. The film illustrates how each family member reacts to this event and how this man feels that his life is going back to a road already traveled.

Three women recognize a man at a bar, but disagree on his name. They start telling the stories of how they met him and how he abandoned them.