Discoveries from Puerto Rico World Cinema

A text from a lonely traveler pushes a group of friends from faraway places to reunite

A soldier who is part of a special squad is away from home in the middle of a mission where failure is not an option. He is tested and has to choose to continue or surrender.

Espinal tells the story of one of Puerto Rico's most important athletes who, despite all the difficult circumstances, managed to give his country a great joy, being an Olympic medalist. A story of resilience, love, faith and courage.

Homage to Puerto Rican composer Catalino Curet Alonso, or as his friends and fans call him, "Tite", representing how widely influential the composer remains.

Andrés sells avocados around his community to raise money to buy some flowers for the girl he likes, Mariela. On his journey, Andrés and an old man from the community, Don Juan, create a friendship. Andrés finds that life takes unexpected directions.

Interviews with the pioneers of surfing in Puerto Rico in the decade of the 60, including legend surfer Jorge Machuca.

The documentary “The Classic of Classics” explores the historic baseball rivalry between Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic and the story of the beloved Team Rubio. The film highlights the legacy of the so-called “Team Rubio,” the popular name for the Puerto Rican team in the World Baseball Classic, as well as the emotional, cultural, and sporting significance of the matches between these two Caribbean baseball powerhouses.

A girl encounters a doppelgänger and does everything she can to escape from it, in a Super 8 subtropic Experimental film shot with Kodak

In the middle of an astronomical phenomenon, strange circumstances give a father hope of getting back someone he thought he lost forever.

Ignacio must move from Puerto Rico to the continental US; this means leaving his best friends behind. The short presents us with a compassionate point of view of the desolated world of contemporary Puerto Rican youth in a country without hope.

It presents of one of the major challenges faced by DivEdCo’s fieldworkers: how to convince the island’s rural farmers of the continued importance of traditional agricultural practices in the face of Puerto Rico’s rapid modernization and industrialization under Operation Bootstrap. The film encourages families to make good use of arable land by cultivating healthy and affordable crops.

Dracula is in the Caribbean quenching its thirst for blood to survive and by commends of Satan steals dying bodies to deliver their souls. But Dracula is dying, because blood is now contaminated.

Puerto Rican short film directed by filmmaker Skip Font. Official selection at Rincón Film Festival in 2018.

Reflects on the similarities between Puerto Rico and Cuba in musical, cultural, and physical terms. A journey through these two Caribbean countries will transport the viewer to enjoy both music and beautiful landscapes. It shows not only iconic places, but unique collaborations among Puerto Rican and Cuban artists performing together for the first time to delight audiences with musical arrangements that are innovative and different.

Hugo, a dispirited English Literature professor, sets out on a one-way trip in search of a lighthouse. Halfway there he meets Paco, an 18 year-old smart ass, hitching a ride West. The road takes the unlikely pair to a greasy spoon in the middle of nowhere, where three peculiar waitresses persuade them to stay the night and, unknowingly, change their lives.

Dummy overview.

This production pays tribute to songs that have endured the test of time.

Ramona and Lupita are 2 close friends who love spending time together until... a strange figure creates a rift between them

Four friends set out on an adventure through the southwest of Puerto Rico with a camera in hand, chasing fun, beaches, and new stories. But what begins as a trip filled with laughter and tropical heat soon leads them to discover that there are places where reality starts to feel… otherworldly

As the country burns, two politicians battle over to "negotiate" with US congressmen to end the crisis.

Improvisational cinema from Eduardo Rosado

Fernando's First Trip as an Uber Driver becomes an awkward ride with multiple riders.

Film from Ray Figueroa

This docu-drama deals with the lives of two soldiers from Puerto Rico enlisted to fight during the Vietnam conflict. Based on a real-life incident, the movie relates the young soldiers' ambiguity about the war and the tragic consequences their plight holds for them, as well as their families.

Yuyo, the owner of a small cafeteria in Puerto Rico, has to deal with all the issues around the COVID-19 crisis. From a huge debt, employees demanding their wages, curfews, and dwindling clientele.

A vibrant exploration of community and Black Trans euphoria, Hustleween chronicles an annual celebration created by EspicyNipples that transforms memory into queer resistance and joy.

A character study of Puerto Rican struggling rapper Negro Gonzalez, a portrait of his island, a beautiful land tarnished by US colonization and an ode to the unbreakable spirit of Puerto Rican artists.

A film that tackles the 1918-1920 tobacco agriculture decline in Puerto Rico

In a world where energy sources remain untapped and electricity goes to waste, "Stranded" takes viewers on a gripping journey into the heart of Bitcoin mining, revealing the ingenious solution that not only fuels the cryptocurrency but also reclaims wasted energy. "Stranded" explores the untold story of Bitcoin miners who've uncovered a way to harness stranded electricity, transforming it into Bitcoin. This short film offers a captivating introduction to the feature documentary "Dirty Coin."

A 16-year-old awaits her period after having sex for the first time, learning to own her power as she becomes more familiar with her body.

A short wherein two sisters must learn the lesson of ultimate sacrifice, forever.

A group of Puerto Rican artists join forces to revitalize their community through mural artwork.

Short film directed by Wallis Torres López in 2016, starring Ericka Colón and Omar Cruz.

Elena is on a mission to finish a list of things that might bring her happiness. In her ongoing quest, she might need a change of perspective.

The Needle is a portrait of a home clinic for body modification in one of San Juan's most impoverished neighborhoods. In telling the story of the clinic's owner and two clients, the film explores addiction as expressed through the search for beauty, social acceptance, and inter-personal affection.

What is "la escena" (the scene) and what is its importance, if any? Guillermo Gómez Álvarez tries to answer these questions with candid interviews from musicians and fans of the vibrant and, many times controversial, punk music scene in Puerto Rico. The decadence, rage, drugs, alcohol, politics, and social aspects are showcased in this documentary that tells an important part of the history of the great dysfunctional family that is "el punk boricua".

A fragmented story of unrequited love in the post-apocalyptic wasteland of the last colony on Earth, Puerto Rico.

A woman finds herself grappling with the haunting presence, as she navigates through shadows over her present existence.

On March 4, 1970, UPR-Río Piedras student Antonia Martínez Lagares was assassinated by a policeman while she was standing at a balcony of the Ponce de León Avenue. This documentary shows who Antonia was and recounts the incident with testimonies of witnesses, including that of director José Artemio Torres, who was also at the balcony.

The daily life of Juan, Rushian and Ivianyd, three Puerto Rican teenagers, is challenged when they decide to participate in a series of workshops to discover their aspirations and overcome personal limitations. The support of new mentors provokes awareness, but moving forward is not so simple. Obstacles pertaining social, emotional and sexual identity issues are part of this choral portrait on the margins of Caribbean society.

The celebration of a 15th birthday gives raise to a series of events between a group of teens that will lead them to encounter situations of adventure, passion, comedy, and maybe an encounter from "beyond".

Documentary that narrates the extraordinary life of Victoria Espinosa Torres, an influential Puerto Rican theater director. From her humble beginnings in Santurce to her tireless fight for social equality and the internationalization of Puerto Rican theater, the film highlights her unwavering dedication to art and her ability to transform lives and societies through theater. With testimonies and interviews that reveal her impact and legacy, this documentary celebrates Victoria's passion for theater and her invaluable contribution to Puerto Rican culture.

La nueva ola de añil (The New Indigo Wave) follows residents of Oaxacan town Niltepec—whose name means Cerro del Añil or Indigo Hill—and the process of alchemizing the mesmerizing blue pigment known as añil from the jiquilite plant (Indigofera tinctoria).

After his first sexual encounter with his best friend, Maco finds his dead grandmother on the couch in his home. Moral guilt and masculine complexity erupt when, accompanied by his friends on the way to the funeral, one of the car's tires bursts in the middle of nowhere.

A young man is forced to eat constantly because of a strange condition that causes deformations on his body.

Puerto Rican short film written by Eb Alers, and starring Maribel Maysonet.

Puerto Rican short film from Angel Janer, starring Maribel Maysonet.

It's raucous, diverse, hedonistic, and sexy; but Rico Rico is more than just a queer party. Set in a community location that offers an LGBTQ+ safe space and the freedom to be yourself by moving, dressing and connecting with people in the way that you want; this movie is a celebration of the dance floor as a place of acceptance and inclusivity that captures the type of raw energy and freedom that you can only ever find in the club.

A young dreamer wearing a hat made of aluminum foil walks along the UFO Route in Lajas, Puerto Rico, contemplating extraterrestrial life, the collective unconscious, and the immensity of the cosmos.

After her sister vanishes without a trace, a young woman returns to her hometown, unearthing the secrets that shroud the community in darkness.

An experimental short film that interacts with the sea on the northwest coast of Puerto Rico as both limit and possibility, alienation and belonging, while also considering the strange sense of surrender and serenity that can often be found in its turbulent fluctuations.

A documentary about the life of Puerto Rican nationalist Rafael Cancel Miranda and the events that led to the 1954 Attack on the US House of Representatives

The lives of nine Puerto Ricans are forever changed by Maria, the deadly hurricane that left thousands of families without a home and millions without access to water, food, electricity, medicine, and communications. Two years later, fate brings these nine people together to the epicenter of the protests that ultimately resulted in the Puerto Rican Governor's resignation, symbolizing the triumph (albeit short-lived) of the people over corruption.

This documentary examines the musical tastes of Puerto Rico's youth. The terms "cocolos" refers to those who prefer salsa music, and "rockeros" to those who prefer rock music. Through interviews and an array of musical settings, the film explores the young people's feelings in a humorist yet serious manner, bringing to the forefront issues of biases and national identity inherent in this innocent yet very powerful form of social entertainment.