This year’s Dominican Film Festival will be in-person and online for six days opening on Nov. 9th and closing on Nov. 14th. This is the 10th edition of what has become one of the best showcases of Dominican cinema. These three documentaries below are must-see snapshots of life that range from issues of immigration, movement, change, gender and loss to social movements and struggles for self-determination.

Vals de Santo Domingo (Santo Domingo Waltz)

Tatiana Fernández Geara / República Dominicana / Documental / 76’/ Spanish with English Subtitles 

Three teen ballet students—Raymundo, Angel, and Victor — are the only boys in a class of twenty. In a country where dance is mostly considered an activity for women, they are determined to follow their dreams and challenge traditional gender roles. Like a waltz, music played in triple time, the three boys move through Santo Domingo while confronting, yet sometimes abiding by, the Dominican machismo culture.

Screening date: November 11, 2021 at 4:00pm followed by live Q & A with director

D'SORY

​​​​​Marie Jiménez, Dominican Republic, Documentary, 67 min, Spanish with English Subtitles

During the Catalan independence referendum, Marie, a Dominican filmmaker, documents the cultural identity of Sory, a small business owner, single mother, and lesbian. Despite becoming friends and after having agreed to be filmed from the outset, Sory turns away Marie’s camera from the hair salon when her son migrates illegally to Spain. Marie returns to her country and turns the camera toward Lisset, Sory’s daughter. Lisset has to decide whether to move to Barcelona with her mother or to stay in Santo Domingo with her children. Amid flags and polarized societies, Marie exposes a family divided by frontiers more complex than those set up by the water that surrounds the island. 

Screening date: November 11, 2021 at 5:00pm EST followed by live Q & A w/ director. 

Guerrera: Una historia de lucha, duelo y amor (Guerrera: A story of struggle, grief, and love)

Jose Castillo  | Dominican Republic, USA | Documental | 2021 | 86 min | Spanish with English subtitles  

Guerrera is an intimate look at the process of a family struggling to overcome the physical loss of their matriarch. Through the narratives of friends, neighbors, and family members, photos, and videos, it reconstructs little by little what her life was like. It is a family catharsis to keep her memory alive, to reflect on the things that matter most to us, to value our loved ones in life, and also to heal in the face of loss and absence. Guerrera is a film to remind us that we are not alone in our grief.

Screening date: November 13 at 6:00pm EST followed by live Q& A with director. 

All text and images from a press release by the Dominican Film Festival

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