Block 7

Director: Rosamary Berrios

Writer: Rosamary Berrios-Hernández, Juan Pablo Soto-Adames

Producer: Rosamary Berríos-Hernández

The documentary narrate the daily drama and the impressive devotion of devoted women to the image of Santiago Apostle. Their stories are intertwined with the emblematic elements of the celebrations in honor of the "saint" as a gesture that takes shape in the spirituality of all a town.

It is a look at the metaphor between the myth of the appearance of Santiago in Loíza and the cultural resistance of the community. The title Santiago of the women, alludes to one of the three effigies of the same Santiago Apostle. These projects a specific and local mythology that refers to universal themes of the relationship between the past and present, social, physical and geographical transformations.

All the experience of the celebrations to Santiago is kept in memory. They are perhaps an annual renewal passage that reminds us of the character, vitality and function of the loiceña woman as a pillar of the community.

Director, Writer: H. J. Leonard

Producer: Nirvania A. Quesada

Three Parallel Reflections on the Past is a short shaped like a chronotopic game that investigates the memory of 3 women from Hatillo who oscillate between the present and the past of a (re)imagined Puerto Rico.

In the same way, the image plays with the passage of time, fragmented into frames in a timeless B/W that combines ultra-modern shots in HD with vintage visual snippets in Super 8 format.

Director: Freddy Kwak, Nishika Goel

Writer: Morgan Torre, Idzatou Barry, Ashley Bernard, Valerie Rodriguez, Nate Reyes, Connie Fang

Producer: Keely Dumouchel, Sofia Bottini, Kristen Garvey, Annie Cowen

'Rooted' is the story of the predominately black town of Loíza, Puerto Rico, rich in African culture but plagued by generational poverty, systemic racism, and governmental neglect. The exemplary story of the Abrante family showcases the power of cultural traditions like Bomba in overcoming the long-lasting impacts of anti-Blackness on the island. Born and raised in Loíza, Jomar Abrante carries the legacy of Bomba that goes beyond music.