THAT’S A WRAP!

I’ve spent the bulk of the last year and a half putting together a documentary film that researched Puerto Rican history, culture, and identity. After all this time, I’m finally proud to say that I’ve finally crossed the finish line and completed this project.

My film, “Boricua Soy Yo” will screen at UCF (University of Central Florida) Celebrates the Arts here in Orlando, at the famed Dr. Phillips Center for the Arts on April 9th, before I partake in the film festival circuit.

To say that I’m breathing a sigh of relief would be an understatement, as producing an independent documentary, solely by oneself (with a little help) on a shoestring budget is a very overwhelming task.

In mid-July 2020, as many fellow Americans, I found myself jobless due to the COVID-19 pandemic which at still has its traces in our everyday life. I was working as a Senior Functional Consultant for a Software Consulting Firm, making good money, however, due to the economic slowdown and societal shutdown fears, sales projections were grim and jobs cuts across the board were made. The loss of my job brought other depression, uncertainty, and self-doubt; however, I took that as an opportunity to pour myself into my next film project, and the idea of “Boricua Soy Yo” was born.

Over the last year or so, I’ve written about my journey in y completing this film, sharing the experiences I’ve had and people I’ve met along the way.

I’d like to publicly say thank you to the following individuals for their help along the way; Beatriz Flores of El Batey, Alberto O.  Cappas of the Buffalo Latino Village, Maritza Vega of the WNY Hispanic Association, artist Aileen Gonzalez Marti, Dr. Luis Martinez-Fernandez, Dr. Fernando Rivera, Rep. Darren Soto, Efrain Burgos, artist Pedro Brull, artist Maria Ramos, artist Jose Sanchez, Comedian and podcaster Casper Martinez, master sculptor Nilda Comas, and Melanie Maldonado Diaz or PROPA.

This project could not have been completed without the help of each of these individuals, for taking the time out of their days to sit with me and talk about our history, our culture, and our identity.

When producing a feature-length documentary, unfortunately, a lot of footage will be left on the “virtual” cutting room floor, as there is only so much a filmmaker can include within any given film to move the narrative. When putting this film together, I wanted to include the most important pieces of the story.

I often tell people; documentary filmmaking is like putting together a jigsaw puzzle without a picture of what the finished film will look like. You can have an idea of what you want it to look like, however, the finished product is found within the interviews and how those come together to structure the story.

I’m proud to say that my puzzle is complete and I’m looking forward to sharing it with the world.