2014 Directed by Freddie Rodríguez, Mariel Marrero
A look at Puerto Rico and its cinema through films, documentaries, and commercials from the early twentieth century to the emerging cinema of today. Visual and narrative strategies portray fragments of Puerto Rico's general history and, in turn, answers the questions of who, when, and for whom have films been made in Puerto Rico and the resources that are available to do it.
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
"Me viene a la mente una anécdota que vivimos en Cannes, el festival de Cannes, después de la proyección de Dios los cría..., la primera, para reflexionar lo mucho que contribuye el cine a proyectar la imagen de los países y su cultura. Después de la proyección dialogamos con la gente y había un periodista francés que me decía:
- Pero una pregunta, ¿esa película usted la considera puertorriqueña?
- Sí, pues claro Dios los cría... es una puertorriqueña.
Volvía a insistir él, '¿pero se basa en realidades vividas en Puerto Rico?'
- Sí.
- ¿Y esos actores, todos son de Puerto Rico? ¿Y así es que hablan en Puerto Rico?
- Sí.
Y…
Year: 2010
Studio: Producciones Zaranda
Boricua filmmaker: Yes
Made in Puerto Rico: Yes
Set in Puerto Rico: Yes
The rating for this film is mostly based on its necessity, importance, and touchstone for research on Puerto Rican film history. It is thorough and the most complete record we have of Puerto Rican filmmaking in audiovisual format to this day. Its execution is pedantic, but for such an untouched and puzzling topic as the question of national cinema in Puerto Rico, pedantic seems to be necessary.
With the passage of time, this documentary living up to its warnings feels like the most bittersweet note of it. However, I view a film like this as motivation. As many filmmakers and gatekeepers to…
