From Young Lords to Statehood: 5 Must-See Films at NY’s Puerto Rican Heritage Film Festival

Now in its fifth year, the International Puerto Rican Heritage Film Festival (IPRHFF) returns to New York City this week. Committed to creating a platform that allows entertainment and educational filmmakers dealing with Puerto Rico to reach a wider audience, the festival will screen close to fifty short and feature films. Along with its film screening series, the festival will be handing out Lifetime Achievement Awards to musician Jose Feliciano and to sports executive Ray Negrón.

From politically-minded documentaries tackling the island’s “status issue,” and personal films about New York City hustlers, to animated films about baseball and comedies about would-be stand-up comics, the diversity on display is a testament to the IPRHFF’s desire to present as wide-ranging a picture of Puerto Rican heritage as possible.

We combed through the long roster of films being presented at the festival and have singled out five films you should definitely look out for.

The International Puerto Rican Heritage Film Festival runs November 11 – 15 at the Mount Sinai theater in New York.