Cinema Puerto Rico: una antropología visual

Luz in Latin America

April 2016 •Spanish

The inspiring account on international bodyboarding star Luz 'Loly' Grande - a young woman on a personal mission to make bodyboarding a means to improve the lives of disadvantaged children in Puerto Rico, Argentina, Brazil, and Peru.

La otra intención

December 2014 •Spanish

In San Juan, Puerto Rico, hundreds of artists gathered to pay honor to the work of Puerto Rican artist Myrna Báez. La otra intención (The Other Intention) is an observational documentary that travels through the work of Myrna while visiting artists, such as Petra Bravo, Deborah Hunt, Yiyo Tirado, Gustavo Castrodad, the theater group Y no había luz, among others, to accompany them in their creative process of re-interpretation.

Islas entretejidas: Puerto Rico y Córcega

August 2016 •Spanish

The cultural and architectural phenomenon of the Corsican in Puerto Rico, and the influence of the Corsican immigration in this territory.

Cantares

January 1960 •Spanish

Several Puerto Rican Christmas tunes are performed on screen by Juan Rivera, Juan Ortiz Vargas, José Ramón Morales, and the Morgado Brothers.

The Scene

May 2005 •Spanish

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".

Una identidad en absurdo Vol. 1

April 2011 •Spanish

Guillermo Gómez Álvarez explores the identity politics of Puerto Rico via archival footage from various sources that clash with nine original songs from local independent musicians and a thematic analysis from a psychoanalyst and a historian. From the juxtaposition the absurd becomes coherent and the coherent becomes absurd as Puerto Rican identity is defined and rejected almost simultaneously.

Puerto Rico

January 1975 •Spanish

Presents a socio-economic analysis of present day Puerto Rico. Uses archival footage, re-enactments of historic events, and interviews with participants to recount the long history of U.S. involvement in Puerto Rico and the anti-colonial struggle.

After Maria

April 2019 •Spanish

Strong Puerto Rican women forced to flee the island after Hurricane Maria have bonded like family in a FEMA hotel in the Bronx. They seek stability in their new life as forces try to pull them apart.

Luisa tenía razón

July 1968 •Spanish

Explores concerns about uterine cancer and the value of the Pap Test in detecting this serious type of cancer.

PsiQuis: Un Giro Decolonial

August 2023 •Spanish

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.

Mamagüela

September 1994 •Spanish

Experimental film about rhythm as corporal expression of a culture. Presents various choreographies and does not include the participation of men.

Antonio Paoli: Rey de Tenores y Tenor de Reyes

January 1991 •Spanish

The life and career of Puerto Rican tenor Antonio Paoli, also known as The King of Tenors and The Tenor of Kings.

Rafael Cancel Miranda: I'm Not Sorry for What I Did

July 2016 •Spanish

Explores the trajectory of the young nationalist from the time of his incarceration, at 23 years of age, as a result of the attack on the United States Congress.

Ellas: Mujeres en la música

December 2021 •Spanish

A musical look at the invaluable contribution made by women to Puerto Rican music.

Your Day Is My Night

May 2014 •Chinese

Immigrant residents of a “shift-bed” apartment in the heart of New York City’s Chinatown share their stories of personal and political upheaval. As the bed transforms into a stage, the film reveals the collective history of the Chinese in the United States through conversations, autobiographical monologues, and theatrical movement pieces. Shot in the kitchens, bedrooms, wedding halls, cafés, and mahjong parlors of Chinatown, this provocative hybrid documentary addresses issues of privacy, intimacy, and urban life.

Son Afrocaribeño

January 1998 •Spanish

Combines animation and documentary footage to illustrate the origins and impact of the musical genres Bomba and Plena in Puerto Rican culture.

La operación

June 1982 •Spanish

Documentary on the mass sterilization of Puerto Rican women during the 1950s and '60s.

After the Boats Left

February 2022 •Spanish

New documentary by Mexican filmmaker Sonia Fritz about a forgotten town in Puerto Rico.

Desigualdad y Pobreza

January 1988 •Spanish

Un diario amable

July 2009 •English

"A Friendly Newspaper" vindicated journalists in a very important sense. For the first time, from a place as influential as television, the business power that exists behind the press was summoned and held responsible for its decline.