PROMESA: A Documentary
For over 100 years the people of Puerto Rico have struggled with economy instability. This instability has effected generations of Puerto Ricans shaping their cultural landscape, and defining their relationship with their island home. The last decade has seen this instability turn to crisis. A crippling financial downturn caused 500,000 residents to flee to the United States in search of better economic opportunities. Following the devastation of Hurricane Maria on September 20, 2017 an additional 150,000 inhabitants were forced to abandon their homeland. This exodus will affect the culture and future of Puerto Rico for generations to come.
PROMESA is an independent short documentary examining the economic crisis in Puerto Rico and exploring how its colonial relationship with the US has had both a political and personal impact on the islanders.
Inspired by their work on PROMESA, the filmmakers created Reclaim Puerto Rico. During their filming the filmmakers realized that the most common issue plaguing generations of Puerto Rico citizens was simple: lack of reliable employment. Reclaim Puerto Rico awards mini-grants to support entrepreneurship on the island in hopes of creating sustainable and reliable Puerto Rican owned business on the island. Showings of PROMESA help to raise funds to support Reclaim Puerto Rico. Join the filmmakers at their next showing to help the Puerto Rican community overcome the devastation left by Hurricane Maria.
Reclaim Puerto Rico
Reclaim Puerto Rico’s goal is to help entrepreneurs become more self-sustainable by providing them with the necessary funding to enhance their business endeavors and projects.
ReclaimPR will award mini grants to small business owners and entrepreneurs of Puerto Rican ancestry on the island. The grantees can utilize the aid to help pay for various support services including education, training, equipment, utilities, repairs, renovation, legal assistance, marketing, website and social media management.
In order to better serve our grantees, our team will connect recipients to existing services in Puerto Rico that will ultimately lead to successful business ventures. Our target goal is to raise $50,000.
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PROMESA/Reclaim Puerto Rico Team
Director of PROMESA/CoFounder of Reclaim Puerto Rico: Michelle Falcón Fontánez.
Michelle Falcón Fontánez is a photographer, filmmaker, and Hampshire College graduate with concentrations in Film and Business Management; currently a graduate student at Emerson College. Amongst an impressive portfolio, Michelle has, most notably produced PROMESA, a documentary on the economic crisis of Puerto Rico, that will be featured in the festival.
Outreach & Communications Specialist of Reclaim Puerto Rico: Nathalie P. Vicencio.
Nathalie P. Vicenciois a graduate of Bay Path University with a concentration in Arts and Humanities. Throughout her career, Nathalie has invested her time and talents to social justice causes. She has performed and helped direct theater and spoken word productions which focus solely on the struggle for civil and human rights. Originally from Ecuador, Nathalie believes that healing happens when connecting mind, body and spirit and that art can be used as a powerful healing tool.