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".
Two tons of snow—flown from New Hampshire to Puerto Rico in 1952 in order to “gift” Puerto Ricans a “white Christmas”—become a metaphor for the colonialist paternalism of America’s relationship to Puerto Rico.
Explore the 500-year history of the city of San Juan, from the move from Caparra to the different invasions during these centuries. It also looks at how different situations and people were key to what is now the capital of Puerto Rico. This documentary presents, through the recreation of key situations, archival material, and accounts of historians and researchers, decisive moments that influenced what is now the capital.
A close look at Puerto Rico's unique relationship with the United States.
We Are Still Here is a student-made documentary from the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez campus (UPRM) about the lives and experiences of the Peñolanos from Barrio Rucio and adjacent communities who have resisted generations of adversities due to their geographical location and at the hands of the Puerto Rican government. Centered on resistance and collective care among communities, this inaugural documentary produced by the Oral History Lab at UPRM and funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities showcases how community work by projects like Aula en la Montaña and organizations like Impacto Juventud GC Inc. demonstrate that strength lies in union and that true healing occurs through mutual accompaniment between community and volunteers.
Puerto Rico, the last relic of colonization in the western hemisphere, has been a dependent territory of the USA since 1917. Los Macheteros and one of its leaders Juan Segarra have been fighting for its full independence for many decades.
At least we're alive. Humberto.
Hurricane María abated, the news crews packed up and left Puerto Rico, and the interest of the international community turned elsewhere. What happened next?
A documentary that reflects on the vision of 'progress' that governments cling to in times of climate change, focusing on the personal and collective experience lived in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria struck the island in 2017.
A musical look at the invaluable contribution made by women to Puerto Rican music.
The efforts of a community to build a bridge which would allow their children to go school during the rainy season.
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.
A poetic journey about the life and work of Puerto Rican poet Julia de Burgos.
The story of the basketball players that represented Puerto Rico at the San Juan's 1979 Pan Am Games.
Explores concerns about uterine cancer and the value of the Pap Test in detecting this serious type of cancer.
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.
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.
COINTELPRO 101 exposes illegal surveillance, disruption, and outright murder committed by the US government in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. “COINTELPRO” refers to the official FBI COunter INTELigence PROgram carried out to surveil, imprison, and eliminate leaders of social justice movements and to disrupt, divide, and destroy the movements as well. Many of the government's crimes are still unknown. Through interviews with activists who experienced these abuses first-hand, with rare historical footage, the film provides an educational introduction to a period of intense repression and draws relevant lessons for the present and future.
“El Apagón: Aquí Vive Gente” is a documentary directed by Bad Bunny and Blanca Graulau. This 23-minute film explores the socio-economic challenges in Puerto Rico, focusing on the effects of power outages and gentrification driven by the real estate and energy sectors. Through visuals and personal stories, the documentary highlights the experiences of Puerto Rican communities facing these issues.
How fair is it for the government to control its citizens? Four Puerto Ricans confront their past when they open their “files”, the records obtained of the illegal surveillance and persecution that the Puerto Rican government held against citizens and organizations that disagreed with the establishment. Through their daily life, they will tell us their stories, experiences and intimate feelings of the persecution they suffered. Taking their past as an example, we will confront the present.