The country’s most important film event will be inaugurated on the evening of January 31 at the National Theater, dedicated to the memory of Rubén Abud, founder of ADOCINE and collaborator in numerous Dominican film projects. This year’s guest of honor country will be India, which will showcase recent award-winning productions and participants in major international festivals. A total of 122 productions will be screened in this edition, including 92 feature films in fiction, animation, and documentary, and 30 short films, with a representative selection of the best of contemporary international and local cinema.
(Santo Domingo, January 28, 2025). The Santo Domingo Global Film Festival (FCGSD, spanish acronym) will celebrate its 17th edition from January 31 to February 6. This cinematic event is an initiative of the Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD), created to promote the seventh art and foster the development of the local film industry.
Starting from this edition, FCGSD has an essential ally for the realization of the event, Caribbean Cinemas, offering the best entertainment in the best environment.
The official opening of the festival will take place on Friday, January 31 at the Carlos Piantini Hall of the National Theater with the screening of “The Light We Imagine,” directed by Payal Kapadia, a co-production of India, France, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. This poetic film gives a voice to a group working in a hospital in Mumbai and won the Grand Jury Prize at Cannes, was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best International Film, among other international recognitions, confirming a new voice for Indian cinema.
During the opening ceremony, FCGSD will present a recognition for her career to Adriana Paz, the first Mexican actress awarded the Palm d’Or for Best Performance by the Cannes Film Festival, a prize she shared with Zoe Saldaña, Karla Sofia Gascón, and Selena Gomez for their roles in “Emilia Pérez.” Her filmography includes films such as “La Tirisia” (2014), “Nadie sabrá nunca” (2018), and “El comediante” (2021). Her latest film, “Arillo de hombre muerto” (2024), in which she plays a woman whose husband disappears without a trace, will also be showcased.
Among the novelties of this edition is the introduction of a new competitive section: Animated Feature Films, which will be named after Carlos Cabral, the distinguished Dominican artist, character director, and technical animator at Walt Disney Animation Studios, a source of pride for the Dominican diaspora and an inspiration for new generations of animators in the country.
The Dominican film “Olivia y las nubes,” directed by Tomás Pichardo, which has had a remarkable trajectory in international film festivals during 2024, has been chosen as the closing film and will also be part of the selection for the new animation section. Previously, it participated in the 77th edition of the Locarno Film Festival, where it received a Special Mention in the prestigious Concorso Cineasti del Presente section. It was also recognized with a Special Mention at the prestigious British Film Institute (BFI) London Film Festival 2024.
Another new feature of this edition is the creation of two new non-competitive First Works sections, representing an important showcase of the talent from new voices in cinema. These are the “Vanguard” section, composed of twelve international First Works from countries as diverse as Singapore, Greece, Turkey, Switzerland, Russia, Iran, Norway, the United States, France, Italy, Germany, and Lithuania, and the new “Perspectives” section, which will feature films from Ibero-American countries such as Mexico, Peru, Spain, Argentina, Uruguay, Colombia, and Panama. These new sections are part of the Festival’s commitment to promoting emerging directors, as a festival recognized by FIAPF specializing in First Works.
INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL FILMS
This year’s program includes award-winning films and participants from the main “A” category international festivals, including “Dahomey,” by Mati Diop, winner of the Golden Bear at the last Berlinale, alongside other Official Competition titles such as the Iranian “My Favorite Dessert,” by Marian Moghadam and Behetash Sanaeeha, the Danish film “Condemned” (Sons) by Oscar-nominated Gustav Mollet, and the Costa Rican “Memories of a Burning Body,” by Antonella Sudasassi, which was awarded in the Panorama section, among others.
From the Cannes Film Festival, the program will include “The Light We Imagine,” Grand Jury Prize winner; “Bird,” from the UK, by director Andrea Arnold; “Grand Tour,” from Miguel Gomes, Portugal, winner of the Best Director award; “The Girl with the Needle,” by Danish director Magnus Von Horn, nominated for Best International Film at the Oscars; and “The Old Oak,” by Ken Loach, two-time winner of the Palme d’Or.
“Toxic,” by Saule Vilavite, winner of the Golden Leopard for Best Film at the Locarno Film Festival, and the Austrian film “Moon,” by Kurdwin Ayub, recognized with a Special Mention at the same festival, will also be featured.
From the Venice Film Festival, the performance of Daniel Craig in the new film “Queer” by acclaimed director Luca Guadagnino, an adaptation of the famous novel by William S. Burroughs, will stand out.
From the Rome Film Festival, one of Italy’s most awarded films of the season, “Siempre nos quedará mañana,” the directorial debut of actress Paola Cortellesi, nominated in various categories at the David di Donatello and Nastro D’Argento awards, will be showcased.
Also featured will be “Polvo serán,” by Carlos Marquet-Marcet, winner of the Platform Prize at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), and the winners from the Málaga Film Festival, “Segundo Premio,” by Isaki Lacuesta and Pol Rodríguez, awarded the Biznaga de Oro for Best Film and selected to represent Spain in the Best International Film category at the Oscars. From the Málaga Film Festival, “Los pequeños amores,” Biznaga de Plata, “La Casa,” winner of Best Screenplay, and “Los tonos mayores,” Best Ibero-American Film, will also be presented.
DOMINICAN CINEMA, COPRODUCTIONS, AND FILMS SHOT IN THE COUNTRY
This edition includes an extraordinary participation of both Dominican films and co-productions, as well as films shot in the country. It is important to highlight the growth of the film industry thanks to the fiscal incentives of the Dominican Republic’s Film Law.
In competition will be “Sugar Island,” by Joanne Gómez Terrero, and “Pérez Rodríguez,” by Humberto Tavarez, competing in the Fiction Feature Film category – Jimmy Sierra, and “Kongo pa Kacimiro,” by Bonayel Mota, in the Documentary Feature Film category – Fernando Báez.
Also featured will be “Au revoir,” by Ronni Castillo, a drama about identity and infidelity set in Brittany; “La güira y la tambora,” by Adrian Pucheu; “La Grande,” by Tito Rodríguez, a biography of the popular artist Fefita la Grande; “Madre: a dos centímetros de ti,” a story of forgiveness, love, and redemption directed by Desirée Diaz Silva; and “Tíguere,” a teenage drama by José María Cabral.
Other notable titles include: “Donde floreció una devoción,” by Elsa Turrull; “Ercilia Pepín,” produced by Euri Cabral; “Jimmy va al Trópico,” directed by Jimmy Jean Louis; “Leo Susana,” by Joan Espino; “Nuestra Tierra,” by Ronny Sosa; and “Rock del Caribe,” by Eddy Coradín.
Also featured will be the co-productions: “Zafari,” by award-winning director Mariana Rondón, made with the participation of Venezuela, Peru, Mexico, France, Brazil, Chile, and the Dominican Republic, and “Tabula Rasa,” by Juanfer Andrés and Esteban Roel, shot in the Dominican Republic in co-production with Spain. “Kanaval,” by Henri Pardo, about a Haitian boy who emigrates to Canada, was also partially shot in the country.
COMPETITION SECTIONS
The Santo Domingo Global Film Festival is accredited by FIAPF with a specialization in First Works. The competition sections are as follows:
First Feature Fiction “Jimmy Sierra”
Competing in this section: “Por donde pasa el silencio,” by Sandra Romero (Spain); “La suprema,” by Felipe Holguín Caro (Colombia); “Los Tonos mayores,” by Ingrid Pokropek (Argentina); “Manas,” by Marianna Brennand (Brazil); “Pérez Rodríguez,” by Humberto Tavarez (Dominican Republic); “Querido Trópico,” by Ana Endara (Panama); “Rita,” by Paz Vega (Spain), and “Sugar Island,” by Joanne Gómez Terrero (Dominican Republic-Spain).
First Feature Documentary “Fernando Báez”
The selection includes: “Isla Dawson, un canto en la adversidad,” by Pablo Guzmán (Chile); “Isla Familia,” by Abraham Jiménez Enoa and Claudia Calvino (Cuba); “Kongopa Kacimiro,” by Bonayel Mota (Dominican Republic); “La Fugida,” by Josep Morell and Guillem Sánchez (Spain); “Tongo Saa,” by Nelson Makengo (Republic of Congo); “Los sueños de Pepe, movimiento 2052,” by Pablo Trogo (Uruguay); “Mora ishere,” by Khalid Zairi (Morocco), and “Ouro negro,” by Takashi Sugimoto (Portugal).
First Feature Animation “Carlos Cabral”
Composed of: “El sueño de Clarice,” by Fernando Gutiérrez and Guti Bicalcho (Brazil); “El sueño de la Sultana,” by Isabel Herguera (Spain); “Flavors of Iraq,” by Leonard Cohen (France); “Mariposas Negras,” by David Baute (Spain); “Olivia y las nubes,” by Tomás Pichardo (Dominican Republic).
Global Short Fiction and/or Documentary
The selection includes: “A summer’s end poem” (China), by Cam Zhao Lam; “Tango Fiesta“ (Croatia), by Dinko Bozanic; “Inmarchitables” (Chile), by David de Luca; “Marea negra” (Canada), by Chantal Caron; “Ojala pudiera decir algo más” (Mexico), by José Hernández; and “Aquatic Thought” (Russia), by Dmitri Kasyanov.
Keep track of more details via the event’s website or social channels.
