Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
the Puerto Rican diaspora continue to emerge as vital voices in New York's literary com-
munity.
Cinema
Swashbuckling Johnny Depp flicks aren't the only Hollywood productions to exploit
Puerto Rico's balmy weather, historic architecture and modern infrastructure. But a
homegrown industry only started to flourish in the late 1980s, thanks largely to one direct-
or: Jacobo Morales. He wrote, directed and starred in
Dios la cría
(God Created Them).
The movie, offering a critical look at Puerto Rican society, was lauded by critics and fans.
His next movie,
Lo que le pasó a Santiago
(What Happened to Santiago), won an Academy
Award nomination in 1990 for best foreign film.
Linda Sara
(Pretty Sara), his follow-up
film in 1994, earned him another.
The first non-documentary film shot in Puerto Rico was
Un drama en Puerto Rico
by Rafael Colorado D'Assoy, made in 1912.
D'Assoy went on to form the Film Industrial Society of Puerto Rico, but his groundbreaking first movie has since been lost.
Director Marcos Zurinaga also made a name for himself in the 1980s, first with
La gran
fiesta
(The Big Party) in 1986, which focuses on the last days of San Juan's biggest casino,
and the acclaimed
Disappearance of Garcia Lorca
(1997). The most widely distributed
and successful Puerto Rican film is probably Luis Molina Casanova's 1993 tragicomedy,
La guagua aérea
(A Flight of Hope), which explores the reasons behind Puerto Ricans'
emigration in the 1960s.
Today's celebrity power couple is Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony, both Nuyoricans
with island ties. Oscar winners Raul Julia - who died in 1994 - and smoldering Benicio del
Toro also join the ranks of Puerto Rico's screen celebrities.
TRIO OF PUERTO RICAN FOLK ART
»
Santos
Drawing on the artistic traditions of carved Taíno idols called
cemíes,
these
small religious statues represent religious figures and are enshrined in homes to bring
spiritual blessings to their keepers.
»
Mundillo
Made only in Spain and Puerto Rico, this fine lace was imported with
early nuns, who made and sold it in order to finance schools and orphanages. Renewed
interest in island folk arts, generated by the Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña, has
revived the process.
