Caribbean Eye: Auteur Cinema from Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic

The Caribbean is the site of an emerging and dynamic film culture. In the last decade, films by a new generation of Caribbean filmmakers have won recognition at international film festivals, found more distribution than ever before, and surprised viewers around the world with new stories. Four screenings invite Cincinnati audiences to watch films by some of the best Puerto Rican and Dominican directors working today and participate in deep conversations with the filmmakers.

After the success of his first film The Sparring Partner, Puerto Rican director Gustavo Ramos Perales presents his new film, Feet in the Sand, which tells the story of how two immigrants in Puerto Rico strive to consolidate their lives in a new country. Dominican filmmaker Nelson Carlo de los Santos Arias, winner of the Silver Bear for Best Director at the 2024 Berlin International Film Festival, screens his first feature, Cocote, about the frictions between different religious traditions in the Dominican Republic. 

All the Flowers, an observational documentary about the trans community in the Santa Fe neighborhood of Bogotá, Colombia, by Puerto Rican filmmaker Carmen Oquendo, took ten years to make and was supported by grants from the Ford Foundation, the Guggenheim, and the Sundance Institute. In Rafaela, directed by Tito Rodríguez, Judith Rodríguez delivers an intense and affecting performance as a female gang leader forced to live a violent life that contrasts with her real desires. 

Film presentations are on Sundays, followed by in-depth conversations with the filmmakers on Mondays.

Screening Schedule:
September 29 1–3:30pm
October 6 1–3:30pm
October 13 1–3:30pm
October 20 1–3:30pm