#Modesto Lacén

[lobuenodepuertorico]

Baile, Botella & Barajas (2024)

Cortometraje puertorriqueño de comedia 🇵🇷

Duración: 20min

Sinopsis: En el mundo de las briscas, tres reyes y una reina se reunen a jugar cartas y discutir los problemas importantes de la sociedad… si sus excentricas personalidades se lo permiten.

Escrito y Dirigido por: Augusto Suárez Vincenty

Producido por: Bianca Martínez Rivera Productor Ejecutivo: Sigfredo Bellaflores

ELENCO:

Orón: Junior Álvarez Basto: René Monclova Espada: Modesto Lacén Copi: Yaiza Figueroa Peón: José Carlos Martínez K: Jeffrey Holsman Q: Yadilyz Barbosa J: Pedro De León

Asistente de Director: Alejandro Ramos De Jesús 2do Asistente de Director: Christian Zengotita

Director de Fotografía: Santiago Benet Mari Camera Operator (B Cam): Rafael Rivera (CineLogus)

[notireportes]

Apoyada por Incentivos del Departamento de Desarrollo Económico se Estrena Primera Película Puertorriqueña del Año

Apoyada por Incentivos del @DDECPR ‏ se Estrena Primera Película Puertorriqueña del Año #SoldeMedianoche | @pedrocapo @AlemanLaura @cordegonzalez @ModestoLacen @ArisMejias

San Juan, Puerto Rico — Con una inversión cercana al millón de dólares y el apoyo del programa de cine del Departamento de Desarrollo Económico y Comercio de Puerto Rico (DDEC), se estrenará la película puertorriqueña Sol de Medianoche, protagonizada por el cantante y actor Pedro Capó, este próximo jueves, 1ro. de febrero. En ésta participan, además, actores de la talla de Aris Mejías, Cordelia…

[keepingupwithlinmanuel]

Creativity From the Chaos of Hurricane Maria

When Hurricane Maria began battering Puerto Rico last September, the actor Modesto Lacén was at his house in Rio Grande, near the El Yunque rain forest. He had just gotten married. There was no honeymoon.

Raquel Berrios and Luis Alfredo Del Valle, the husband and wife indie-pop duo who perform as Buscabulla, were in New York, desperate to reach their families on the island. Silence was all that greeted Lin-Manuel Miranda, who was vacationing in Austria, when he tried to connect with relatives in Puerto Rico. And the rapper Daddy Yankee, in New York for a concert, remembers watching the live footage of the hurricane and being dumbfounded by the devastation.

But any feelings of helplessness didn’t last. They and other artists like them, either living in Puerto Rico or with roots on the island, sprung into action. Some raised money for the relief efforts. Others delivered much-needed supplies. And all turned to their art.

A year after Hurricane Maria, we asked a cross-section of musicians, actors and comedians to talk about how the storm affected their lives and influenced their work. We also reached out to three of the participants in a recent residency for Puerto Rican artists at Mass MoCA in North Adams, Mass., to share examples of hurricane-inspired work. The interviews have been edited and condensed.

LIN-MANUEL: Silence. Silence is all anyone heard from Puerto Rico when Hurricane Maria hit. Then the names of towns began to appear on my Twitter feed. Callouts from desperate people all over the world, hoping for any news of their loved ones on the island. My family suffered the same fate. Not a word for days.

As a writer, I channeled my frustration and despair into a song. I was on vacation abroad, so I cut my trip short. Upon landing in New York I went straight to Atlantic Records to cut a demo of what would become “Almost Like Praying.” A charity single and a rallying cry for hope. I contacted every Puerto Rican and Latin musician I knew, and many I did not, to help fill this silence with the goal of raising much needed funds for the lifesaving work the Hispanic Federation had already mobilized to do, with boots already on the ground.

Twenty two artists dropped everything they were doing to help over a single weekend. Within a week we released the single on “The Today Show,” “Good Morning America” and “Despierta America,” to name a few of the generous media outlets that agreed to help us broadly signal the needs of the people of Puerto Rico. The lyrics of the song are simple, a callout to the 78 municipalities of Puerto Rico, an audible recognition of the places and for the people we hold dear.

Since the release of “Almost Like Praying,” and through the generous donations of over 200,000 people from all over the world, and corporate sponsorships and partnerships, we have helped the Hispanic Federation raise over $42 million for Puerto Rico.

LUIS: The first couple of months we focused on general relief — food, generators — and the arts looked like a luxury. But the moment we felt the Hispanic Federation’s projects were fully funded, we launched the arts fund; the arts scene in Puerto Rico needs to get back in full swing after Maria. One of the first recipients was the University of Puerto Rico theater. That’s my alma mater, and the theater there was so much a part of my student life, and now “Hamilton” is going to that theater, and we wanted to leave the venue ready for other big productions to come. The theater is the first of multiple projects. We also gave to dance groups and community arts organizations and a small company, Y No Había Luz, that does street theater and wrote a skit about a tree that had survived every other hurricane but could not withstand Maria.

LIN-MANUEL: A year has passed since Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico. Much has been done, but the road to recovery is long and not a simple one. It is more important than ever to keep our voices powerful to remind Washington that our fellow Americans on the island still need our help. As Puerto Rico continues to rebuild, we must remember that the threat of future storms is very real, if not inevitable. Resiliency and innovation in reconstruction are paramount, as is the rejuvenation of the Puerto Rican spirit through arts and culture to keep hope alive. — MICHAEL PAULSON

[srcsandra]

Para el récord.... El racismo existe. Anoche el querido amigo @julioriverasaniel y el equipo de @noticentrowapa presentaron un documental sobre el racismo. Porque sí. El racismo existe. Allí estuvieron gente que amo y respeto profundamente, y quienes son amigos entrañables como el mismo Julio, Palmira N Rios, Modesto Lacén Cepeda , Ana Teresa Toro , Gloriann Sacha Antonetty Lebron, Isar Godreau y otros. Fue bien interesante y puntual. Se une a otros esfuerzos que también realizan en WIPR, en el Ateneo, en la UPR con mis hermanas Mayra Santos Febres y Marielba Torres entre otros profesores, en la Cátedra de Mujeres Negras con Yolanda Arroyo Pizarro , en el Corredor Afro, en Creative Justice Initiative con Marta Moreno Vega y muchos otros esfuerzos que no menciono , pero que son parte de mi trayectoria de vida diaria, tanto aquí en Puerto Rico y como desde la juventud en New Jersey y New York (bajo el liderato de Hector Bonilla Agosto). Menciono todo esto porque aplaudo todos y cada uno de los esfuerzos que se hacen por la inclusión y el respeto a la dignidad del ser humano. El racismo sí existe. Se vive y se respira todo el tiempo sí tienes la melanina en tu piel y se ve en tu cabello. Anoche en mi familia veíamos el documental y nos vimos retratados en tantas ocasiones y tantas experiencias en la vida. Y hoy por la mañana, una apreciada amiga me envió un tuit que leyó. No era el único porque desde ayer he recibido varios en ese tono. Fíjense quien lo emite y a quien se envía. Yo, por tener mi pelo rizo como lo tengo desde hace más de 15 a��os, soy una cloaca, según esta espécimen. Sí. El racismo existe. ¿Qué opinan de eso? SRC https://www.instagram.com/p/CMmkgqdhqYt/?igshid=q4280yf4ulbb

[mateohurtadothings]

Rican Incantations: A Synthesis of Sonero Stardom and Caribbean Colorism in Joaquin Octavio’s staged reading of “ECUA JEI”

By: Mateo Hurtado 

“Cortijo had created a recipe with a taste, un bocaito for everyone, and isn’t that how we, as island people eat, with everything on the plate instead of separated into neat, American TV dinnerstyle compartments?”

-From “Ecua Jei! Ismael Rivera, El Sonero Mayor (A Personal Recollection)” by Aurora Flores

What happens when the joy of your upbringing, your becoming, transfers to a space that you think is rather removed from your roots? When you have that exhale that you sustain after winning dominó combined with smelling the arroz con gandules moments after its ready to eat, does time stop? Reaching tangentially at possible ways of understanding Rican existence but mostly cueing my (in)finite memories of growing up in Chicago as a freakin’ MexiRican, my experience last summer in NYC at Cherry Lane Theatre certainly stopped me in my tracks with my memorias. Featured in the reading series presented by the Dramatists Guild & Cherry Lane, Power Grid: A Festival of Puerto Rican Theatre Voices, was a performance piece que se llama Ecua Jei penned and helmed by San Juan based director-dramatist multihyphenate Joaquin Octavio.

The performance which I hesitate to place or position as a play as much as it encourages you to do so, follows the origins of iconic Salsero sensation, Ismael Rivera. Rivera being a Puerto Rican black individual desde Santurce who began working as a bricklayer then skyrocketed to international music acclaim as an improvisational Sonero star. Assuming the role of El Sonero Mayor was Mr. Volmar, Andres Waldemar Volmar, that is ; Modesto Lacén dived in as his right hand man and fellow sonero, Rafael Cortijo. Yet, equally as important as the two actors reifying the seminal Salsa figures, what certainly is as alive as the island (#tamobiencc: Bad Bunny) to consider in the staging of this story is the fierce ensemble combined with the otherworldly music direction from Desmar Guevara fused with percussions by Marcos Lopez & Camilo Molina. The band, the band, the band, the music, the sounds of being together and collective noise is what sang the song of this spontaneous Rican Incantation that night. As the actions, inactions, existential woes, cries for dear life and death echoed from character to character, the ghosts of substance abuse as well as colorism attacked the key players. Yet, to not conflate or polarize these power dynamics, it was partially through music and aesthetic intervention in tandem with reinvention that in the 1970’s “As far as Cortijo was concerned, it is the skill and precision of the indio and not the choice of arrow that hits the target. The bomba was now needed for a newer insurrection, a cultural one inclusive of both black pride and Boricua identity unifying the lighterskinned jíbaro with his black coastal cousin.” (Flores 66)

So what of this Sonero stardom and its persistent ability to surpass, to a certain extent, or at least combat caribeño colorism? What does it mean for (and pardon my lighterskinned jibaroness, I’ll check my bias at the door) this retelling of -Ismael Rivera’s claim, little bit of shame, then claim to fame shining as bright as possible- to be unearthed in this political moment? Perhaps this inkling to latch onto all-things-improvisational by nature is helping me make sense of what I experienced that night as an audience member, as a pseudo-perpetual-performer that evening. To specify, to hone in on this investigating, I want to take a closer look at both meanings of incantations; the first being “a series of words said as a magic spell or charm” followed by the second “the use of words as a magic spell”. QUIZAS, the Rican incantations in the space deflected, refused, and dare I say resisted (ugh) the opportunity for subjectivity in the confines of ONLY Theatre, a concert, words that always have meaning, a freestyle, a poem, a speech, a lovely gathering of minds and spirits with seldom worries about a fire hazard, a protest, a town hall meeting, an embodied manifesto. On the verge of 3 hours including an intermission, this glimpse, this window tan abierto with every smell you could hypothetically imagine was left wide open for all to look at and look with- a shared feeling, a shared sentimiento, a shared orgullo of Salsa, of Ricanness, of a place that’s not-yet-imagined, all left spread across your plate.

[actorbaemodestolacen]

I wanted to create a space dedicated to one of the most amazing actors on the planet. Modesto Lacén Cepeda is from Loiza, Puerto Rico and has appeared in Celia the series as Pedro Knight and La Esclava Blanca as Tomás. His pragmatic and emotional approach to acting has earned him a place in my heart. He is actorbae for life.

[efe-es1405-yahoopartner-blog]

El actor puertorriqueño Modesto Lacén estrena "A janguear con mi ex"

Jorge J. Muñiz Ortiz San Juan, 11 ago (EFE).- Modesto Lacén, conocido por encarnar a Pedro Knight en la serie "Celia", estrena mañana "A janguear con mi ex", un nuevo trabajo del actor puertorriqueño con participaciones en telenovelas tanto de Estados Unidos como Latinoamérica. Según Lacén dijo a Efe en entrevista, su cargada agenda del año pasado culminó el 30 de diciembre luego de trabajar en "Celia", protagonizada por la puertorriqueña Jeimy Osorio, y en la serie colombiana "La esclava blanca", donde el actor boricua encarna a Tomás. "Este ha sido el año de cosechar esos frutos. Estoy ahora en Puerto Rico disfrutando con mi familia, pero con fines a seguir creciendo y expandiendo mi carrera", sostuvo Lacén, de 40 años. Lacén destacó que para este año hay varios filmes para estrenar en los que participó, como la local "Sol de medianoche", protagonizada por el cantante boricua Pedro Capó, así como "¡He matado a mi marido!", del director venezolano Francisco Lupini Basagoiti, y donde actúan María Conchica Alonso y Eduardo Yáñez. El actor también espera los estrenos el próximo noviembre del drama "El chata", el largometraje "La barbería" y el cortometraje "Ese olor a lechón", en la que debuta como dramaturgo y director a la vez, y que protagoniza Erick Rodríguez. Lacén se concentra ahora en "A janguear con mi ex", en la que también actúan el dramaturgo Carlos Vega, la cantante Giselle Ortiz y Naymed Calzada. La pieza se estrena mañana en el Centro de Bellas Artes Luis A. Ferré de Santurce de la capital puertorriqueña. "Mucha gente me conoce como actor dramático por las series de 'Celia' y 'La esclava blanca', pero a mí me encanta la comedia", admitió Lacén, quien entre sus primeros trabajos de comedia en televisión cuenta con el programa "Mi familia", que protagonizaron Otilio Warrington y la fenecida Judith Pizarro. "La necesidad de regresar al teatro es grata. Soy de trabajar en cine y televisión, pero cuando surge una oportunidad de regresar al teatro siempre es bienvenido", indicó Lacén, quien interpreta a Rafa en "A janguear con mi ex". Esta comedia, que se estrenó en el 2012, se desarrolla en la sala del apartamento de Jaime (Vega) y Yolanda (Ortiz), quienes tras 10 años de matrimonio tienen una relación deteriorada y comienzan a confrontar problemas sexuales a consecuencia de factores de estrés, falta de tiempo y la monotonía. Jaime es un típico mujeriego que contacta a su ex a través de Facebook y como confía en su esposa se lo dice, para después el matrimonio invitar a su respectiva antiguas parejas a una cena en su apartamento. "Todos hemos tenido algún o alguna ex. Y por este tema se harán obras y películas, porque las relaciones son complejas y profundas. Esta obra es para todo el mundo, no importa si estás en una relación o no", dijo Lacén. "A janguear con mi ex" es producida por Karlo Cabrera y tras su presentación en la Sala de Teatro René Marqués del Centro de Bellas Artes de Santurce el 18 y 19 de agosto viajará al Teatro La Perla en Ponce, al sur de la isla. Las funciones continuarán el 25 y 26 del mismo mes en el Teatro Yagüez en Mayagüez, al oeste, y luego el 9 de septiembre en el Centro de Bellas Artes de Humacao, al sureste de Puerto Rico. La pieza se presentó durante seis meses en España y tuvo cuatro funciones en el Palacio de Bellas Artes en Santo Domingo en noviembre del año pasado. Sin embargo, luego de que Lacén actúe en estas plazas, planifica regresar a Estados Unidos y Latinoamérica para "seguir explorando posibilidades de teatro, cine y series". EFE

[boriquachickschicity]

🇵🇷 @modesto_lacen You may recognize him from playing important #AfroLatino figures such as Pedro Knight in #Celia (tv + stage) or Roberto Clemente (stage). He also recently played Tomás in the novela #LaEsclavaBlanca. Modesto Lacén, a native of Loíza, Puerto Rico, has been acting for the past 23 years on film, television, theater and radio in Puerto Rico, United States and Colombia. #blacklatino #celiatbt #loiza #puertorico #afrolatinosrock #instapic #blackgirlswhoblog #blackness #loiza #chicagoblogger #browngirlbloggers #afrolatinosrock #actor #latinabloggers #modestolacen #bloguera #chicity #blogger #robertoclemente #celiacruz #telemundo #boricua #afroboricua

[danayescanaverino]

My Celia Cruz Addiction

Here's the latest from my blog:

It happened again.

I became addicted to a series on Netflix.

However, unlike other series, where I feel guilty for having watched them, this one makes me feel wonderful.

Image courtesy of Telemundo

The series is Celia, and it is loosely based on the life of famous Cuban singer Celia Cruz who happens to be one of my ultimate favorite singers of all time. Growing up I had posters of Celia and Freddie Mercury side by side. I know, eclectic can’t even begin to describe my musical tastes.

I usually have these shows running after dinner while I do busy work like answering emails, checking blog & social comments, and so on. This one has had me pause what I am working on so often, that many an evening I gave myself an hour to set aside my work and just watch and enjoy.

Using Einstein to hold up my iPad so I can binge watch Celia on Netflix while I work on the laptop. #boxersofinstagram

A photo posted by Danay Escanaverino (@danayescanaverino) on Jan 13, 2017 at 6:47pm PST

The series follows Celia from when she was a teenager in pre-revolution Cuba with big dreams through her battles with racism and sexism and the revolution. They do a great job of following her rise to stardom in Cuba, Latin America and later the US.

The Casting

There were things I loved about the casting choices and a few I really hated.

This is the first novela that features a mostly Afro-Latin cast which I couldn’t envision being cast otherwise, as they are playing people who were Afro-Cuban. I mean, a large portion of the cast is Afro-Latino, which makes it feel authentic. I just can’t believe it took the networks so long to make this happen.

Puerto Rican actor Modesto Lacén was brilliant as Cruz’s husband, Pedro Knight. His accent was excellent and he was 100% believable.

Puerto Rican actress Jeimarie Osorio played younger Celia and did a great job of developing her character’s mannerisms and depth to match Celia’s as she aged in the show.

Jenny Osorio recreates a famous photo of Celia Cruz. Photo credit: Telemundo

Noris, Celia’s sister, was played by Aida Bossa who did a brilliant job of playing an annoying high-pitched Cubanita pizpireta. Another great performance was delivered by Carolina Gaitán who portrayed the young Lola Calvo. That character is actually based on La Lupe, another famous Cuban artist who fled to the US during the revolution.

These characters did a great job with the accents and transported me back to my childhood, as they remind me of people I knew and grew up with.

I will say that on the negative side, some of the casting was ridiculous, like Celia as a little girl or Pedro Knight’s daughters. Considering the audience was Spanish speaking, the casting folks should know better than to cast someone with a South American or Central American accent as a Cuban. We all know the very distinct difference. It’s like casting someone with a thick southern drawl as a native New Yorker.

After about 50 episodes, the cast starts changing to older actors to reflect the passage of 20 to 30 years. It was a bit weird getting used to it, but it was interesting to see how they took turns with introducing them as the episodes went on so that it was gradual. I was annoyed at first, but I also understand what they were trying to achieve.

Portrayal of the Cuban Revolution

One of the things that really got me was how well they portrayed the actual Cuban Revolution and how the Cuban people suffered as a result. I also had a hard time with the prison scenes, as my father was a political prisoner as a young man. It really brought tears to my eyes to see how he may have been treated. One thing is hearing the stories and another is seeing it portrayed on the screen.

I was also shocked at how well the series captured the struggles experienced by the exile community, spanning decades of people believing that things would change and they would return home. These same folks were shown coming to the realization that they would not return in their lifetime and the heartache that it caused.

The games that were played with Celia by the Castro regime such as banning her from ever returning to see her family, even for the funerals of her beloved parents were shown as a constant struggle in her life.

I chuckled as they even showed how difficult it was to get a call through to the island or the fact that mail would never reach the intended recipient. Having lived through some of this, it was interesting to see it now as a viewer.

You get 80 culture packed episodes of modern history at 45 minutes per episode. Netflix has it with subtitles, so that knowing Spanish no longer a prerequisite to enjoy it.

The post My Celia Cruz Addiction appeared first on Danay.

via WordPress http://www.danay.net/my-celia-cruz-addiction/

[littlemisslumu]

Mastery Essay for SDF

Más de un siglo is a musical documentary that takes the viewer on a journey through Puerto Rico’s history and culture using the music that defined each generation as its vehicle through time. An emotional journey that begins with the sound of drums among the trees of Loíza, the birthplace of Bomba, and ends with an invitation to young viewers to use their talents and their passions to forge a new path for Puerto Rico’s future. The latest in a long line of Christmas Specials produced by Banco Popular de Puerto Rico as a way of preserving the island’s musical heritage and its cultural significance, the film takes place entirely in a soundstage, within which sets were built to depict 10 different periods in Puerto Rico’s musical history. We begin in 1893 in a small village by Río Grande in Loíza, where a large group of black Puerto Rican’s showcase the hypnotic rhythm of Bomba, an intricate dance in which the dancers use the fluid motion of their white tunics to “conduct” a symphony of drummers, telling them with just a flick of their wrists or a shimmy of their shoulders how fast or slow the music should go. Everyone huddles around “La bailadora” (The Dancer) as she demonstrates her command over the drums. When the song ends the actor Modesto Lacén addresses the camera and talks to the audience about the significant role that music has played in Puerto Rico’s history and how that music helps to keep our heritage alive for future generations before moving on to the next musical section and handing over narration duties to the actress Cordelia González. It is in this way that the mood of the film is established: that of remembrance and thus begins its journey in time through the music that defined each era. Director Arí Maniel Cruz, known for such films as Antes que cante el gallo (Before the Rooster Crows) and Under My Nails, uses the musical sections as an opportunity to tell small stories within the overarching story of Puerto Rico, from the countryside to the cityscape, and even taking a small detour to the Bronx, with the camera moving freely between the decades while the characters of each decade tell their stories through song. While the onscreen narration is what gives the film its documentary feel, it is in Arí Maniel’s command over the camera, what it sees and where it goes, that the emotional journey truly lies. The camera moves between each set as if taking a leisurely stroll through time, stopping only to witness a moment in the lives of every day Puerto Ricans and lingering just long enough to listen to what the narrators have to say. One stand out story, a showstopper if there ever was one, takes place in the Bronx in the 1970s. As Charlie Aponte, former lead singer of the salsa orchestra El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico sings “Agúzate,” about a man persecuted by the authorities, a tall and languid man bursts into a salsa club nervously looking over his shoulder. He pushes a woman on his way to the bar, but she becomes intrigued by him rather than annoyed (the woman incidentally is dressed like Cuban Latin Soul singer La Lupe, who was quite popular in New York at this time). The camera moves freely around the space, as the man loses himself in the crowd, avoiding the two detectives who come in looking for him. The woman helps him at one point, pulling him into a dance to avoid being seen by the cops. Eventually, the two detectives leave, and the man kisses the woman before taking his own leave. The production value for this scene alone is staggering, and Arí Maniel’s direction takes full advantage by showing as much of the set as possible and often. The main actors were both incredible, able to convey complex emotions without resorting to over the top theatrics, which in a country known more for its theatrical productions rather than its filmmaking is quite a feat. In another segment called La despedida (The Goodbye) set in Naguabo in 1941, recording artist Obie Bermudez sings about saying his goodbyes to his friends and his love before going off to war. He laments the fact that he must leave his mother behind, all alone and with no one to watch out for her. He asks “who will help her if she needs it? Who will care for her if she falls ill? Who will pray for her if she dies?” He leaves and as his mother watches on a door opens behind her. Bright light spills out and beckons her to step through. The young man returns from the war, riding up to his mother’s shack in a military vehicle and wearing his uniform, only to find his house empty and his mother gone. He drops his duffel bag and walks away with his head bowed, his soul deflated by circumstance. This part of the film is something we can all relate to. We’ve all lost someone dear to us, whether family or friend. The image of a person standing before a bright light is so universal that it transcends any and all language barriers. La Despedida is the one segment of this film that any non-Spanish speaker can understand because of the universality of its images. We see the main character say goodbye to his childhood friends, his mother crying, shaking her head, we see all of this, and even without listening to the lyrics we understand that he is going away for a long time. Then, of course, there’s the year, 1941 when World War II was at its crucial point which tells us that he may never return. And finally, the bright light spilling through the open door, the mother turning back and blowing one last kiss at her son, who is long gone before she leaves the earthly plane for good. You don’t need to understand the words of the song to appreciate the weight of these extenuating circumstances, the images tell us everything we need to know. And so the film forges on, taking us to a bar in Santurce in 1952, where a band plays a song that helps the bar owner as well as the last customer cope with their recent breakups. To a family residence in Caparra in the 60’s, where the family bickers over what to watch on their brand-new television set. And so the camera continues to move between settings, to that Salsa club in the Bronx in the 70’s, to La Milla de Oro (The Golden Mile; Puerto Rico’s financial district) in Hato Rey in 1989 and a traffic jam at 7:55 in the morning on PR-2 in the 90’s, each scene bookended by actors, telling us where we are in time and what historical or otherwise significant events took place at that time. It’s hard not to think about the logistical convenience of having everything take place in this one giant soundstage, but after a while you start to notice the significance of it. The narrators speak of an island under construction, with its people constantly moving from place to place, country to country, always in search of brighter futures for themselves and their loved ones. It seems to me that the decision of having everything unfold in a soundstage was made to give the camera the freedom to explore, while at the same time making it clear to the audience, in a meta sort of way, that what they are watching are stories told the way that filmmakers see them when they film them, stories that are only real for as long as the camera is focused on them with characters that cease to exist as soon as the camera is turned away. Sure, the characters aren’t real and their personal circumstances are nothing short of fictional, but their purpose is very much real and very much significant. A major theme of the film is progress and how such a concept helped to shape the national conscience of past generations leading up to my own and the act of moving the camera away from its current subjects and unto the next serves as a metaphor for that. In the end, when filmmaker Jacobo Morales speaks to the audience about how my island’s future is in the hands of my generation, I cannot shake this feeling that no matter how much progress is made there is still more that needs to be done. And that is what the final musical segment “Hijos del cañaveral” is all about. Musicians and singers huddle around each other in a circle as they sing a song about our resilience, against the worst storms, against slavery, against the attempted annihilation of our language, our culture and everything that make us who we are. Más de un siglo could not have come at a better time, a time when every single Puerto Rican, no matter if their feet touch the sandy beaches of the island or the hard concrete of New York City, needs to remember their worth.

[trascapades]

🎨🇵🇷 #ArtIsAWeapon #HurricaneMaria From 📰@nytimes:🖼"Paradox of the New Landscape III" is one of the works created by 👨🏽‍🎨Rogelio Baez-Vega @rogeliobaezvega during a residency this year at Mass MoCA to help Puerto Rican artists affected by Hurricane Maria. (Credit Rogelio Baez-Vega, via Gallery Km 0.2.) Hurricane Maria hit #PuertoRico one year ago today (September 20, 2017). The island and her people still have not fully recovered from the storm's devastation, which caused the deaths of nearly 3,000 people. Shame on 45 and his administration's inhumane and abysmal "response" to the suffering of U.S. citizens. Read: "Creativity From the Chaos of Hurricane Maria. One year later, artists in Puerto Rico and those attached to the island talk about how the devastation and its aftermath influenced their work. By Charo Henríquez, Joe Coscarelli, Michael Paulson and Jennifer Schuessler." - https://nyti.ms/2Nn96bA ____________________ Excerpt: "When Hurricane Maria began battering Puerto Rico last September, the actor Modesto Lacén was at his house in Rio Grande, near the El Yunque rain forest. He had just gotten married. There was no honeymoon. Raquel Berrios and Luis Alfredo Del Valle, the husband and wife indie-pop duo who perform as Buscabulla, were in New York, desperate to reach their families on the island. Silence was all that greeted Lin-Manuel Miranda, who was vacationing in Austria, when he tried to connect with relatives in Puerto Rico. And the rapper Daddy Yankee, in New York for a concert, remembers watching the live footage of the hurricane and being dumbfounded by the devastation. But any feelings of helplessness didn’t last. They and other artists like them, either living in Puerto Rico or with roots on the island, sprung into action. Some raised money for the relief efforts. Others delivered much-needed supplies. And all turned to their art." ____________________ #PuertoRico #CreativityFromChaos #PuertoRicanArt #PuertoRicanArtists #NYTimes #RebuildPuertoRico #RogelioBaezVega #TraScapades #BlackGirlArtGeeks🤓 https://www.instagram.com/p/Bn9YvNhHV3q/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=pochu9rj940f

[cineboricua]

Tras presentarse en Curazao, España, Argentina y Nueva York, la película puertorriqueña “El Chata” regresa a las salas de cine de Puerto Rico

El galardonado filme se exhibirá a partir del jueves, 13 de septiembre en Fine Arts de Miramar

San Juan, Puerto Rico (10 de septiembre de 2018) - Tras presentarse en festivales de cine en Curazao, España, Argentina y Nueva York la película puertorriqueña “El Chata” se exhibirá a partir del jueves, 13 de septiembre en Fine Arts de Miramar. “El Chata” es el primer largometraje del director Gustavo Ramos Perales y relata una historia de sobrevivencia en un ambiente hostil, donde la vida se convierte en una lucha continua, y de cómo en medio de ella unos se levantan y otros no.

El pasado mes de julio, “El Chata” fue galardonada con los premios de "Mejor Director" (Gustavo Ramos Perales) y "Mejor Actor de Reparto" (Carlos Miranda) en el V Festival Internacional de Cine en Calzada de Calatrava de España. Asimismo en dicho festival, el filme tuvo otras nominaciones "Mejor Actor" (Alexon Duprey), "Mejor Fotografía" (Willie Berríos) y "Mejor Banda Sonora" (Eudardo Reyes y Laura Rey).

Además, "El Chata" se presentó recibiendo excelentes críticas en festivales de Argentina, Nueva York y Curazao, en éste último Ramos Perales estuvo nominado al Yellow Robin Award.

"Estamos muy entusiasmados con la acogida internacional que la película ha recibido desde su estreno. Agradezco a los actores y al equipo de producción por su gran desempeño. Estoy convencido que la industria cinematográfica puertorriqueña continuará desarrollándose de manera exitosa", expresó Ramos Perales.

Gustavo Ramos con los galardones de la película El Chata

“El Chata” es una película imprescindible y pertinente en el momento histórico que atraviesa la Isla. El filme es una producción de Studio Creativo y el guion fue escrito por Gustavo Ramos Perales en colaboración con Xenia Rivery.  

El personaje principal de la trama Samuel, interpretado por Alexon Duprey, es un ex boxeador que al salir de la cárcel regresa a su barrio con el interés de reconquistar a su esposa, personificada por Mariana Monclova, y conocer a su hijo Samuelito, encarnado por Gael Valentín.

El elenco cuenta además con la participación actoral de Modesto Lacén a cargo del papel de Papillón, Carlos Miranda como el entrenador de boxeo, Joe. Asimismo, Camila Monclova, Jerome Robles y Eyra Agüero participan en el filme que se presentará durante el mes de septiembre en Trinidad y Tobago.

El director puertorriqueño Gustavo Ramos Perales es graduado en Cinematografía de la Escuela de Cine y Televisión de Madrid.  Previo a su primer largometraje, realizó cortometrajes, comerciales y documentales.

Tráiler:

[miss-rosen]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CELIA CRUZ ! THE CLASSICS | AZUCAR ! Miss Rosen for Crave Online

The Queen of Salsa, the incomparable Celia Cruz (1925-2003) is now the subject of Celia, an epic television series now airing on Netflix showcasing the Cuban singer’s incredible life. Featuring 80 episodes, each 45 minutes in length, the series, which originally aired in 2015 in Colombia on RCN Television and in the United States on Telemundo, tells the story of Cruz’s rise to fame in Spanish, with English subtitles.

Celia stars Puerto Rican actress and Miami Beach resident Jeimy Osorio as the legendary entertainer with fellow Boricua actor Modesto Lacén cast as her husband, Pedro Knight. Directed by Victor Mallarino and Liliana Bocanegra, and scripted by Andrés Salgado, Celia tells the story of the singer’s rise to fame, beginning in pre-revolution Havana, when Salsa music was a white man’s game.

Read the Full Story at Crave Online

[notipuertorico-blog]

EN VIVO | Entrevista con Modesto Lacén y Gisselle Ortiz https://t.co/VWdNaSfcjJ https://t.co/H5vk9pmdYW EN VIVO | Entrevista con Modesto…

[cypresspressroom-blog]

LLEGA A LATINOAMÉRICA “CELIA”, LA SERIE DE LA LEYENDA

Tendrá capítulos de estreno los domingos con repeticiones los sábados por Telemundo Internacional

CDMX, Octubre 2016.- El próximo domingo, 16 de octubre a las 8:00pm, llega a Latinoamérica, a través de la pantalla de Telemundo Internacional, la exitosa serie ¨Celia¨, una gran producción de narra la vida y el legado musical de una de las leyendas de la música Latina de mayor trayectoria Internacional: Celia Cruz, la inolvidable ¨Guarachera del Mundo¨, una mujer que lanzó su carrera en medio de la revolución cubana, en una era en que las cantantes femeninas no podían ocupar un lugar en los escenarios, para convertirse en una de las figuras más importantes y querida de la escena musical mundial.

 Jeimy Osorio y Modesto Lacén, interpretan a Celia Cruz y Pedro Knight durante sus años de juventud, y Aymée Nuviola y Willie Denton interpretan a la pareja durante su etapa de adultos. Además cuenta con la participación antagónica de Carolina Gaitán (Lola Calvo joven), Marcela Gallego (Lola Calvo adulta), Carlos Manuel Vesga (Billy Echaverría), Luciano D'Alessandro (Alberto Blanco joven) y Aida Bossa (Noris Alfonso joven), la primera actriz Margoth Velásquez (Catalina ¨Ollita¨ Alfonso) y la reaparición en las telenovelas de Moisés Angulo (Simón Angulo). En "Celia", la cantante colombiana Patricia Padilla es quien da voz a Cruz.

 En ¨Celia”, conoceremos los inicios de su pasión por el canto en Cuba en la década de los años cincuenta, y su reconocimiento como la cantante más determinante de la Sonora Matancera. Al abandonar la isla junto a su esposo Pedro Knight, su carrera artística conquistó mercados de otras lenguas y se posicionó como la cantante de salsa más reconocida del medio. Honró al género musical, a su querida y añorada patria, y dejó un legado invaluable a través de sus más de 70 discos, que la hicieron merecedora de múltiples premios Grammy y Latin Grammy, así como de los más importantes reconocimientos internacionales.

 ¨Celia¨ nos llevará, paso a paso, a través de las vivencias, dificultades, y sueños, que hicieron de Celia Cruz una de las más grandes cantantes latinas del mundo, incluyendo los siguientes datos curiosos:

 -          En la serie ¨Celia¨ vamos a ver la evolución de la Reina de la Salsa -cuyo nombre completo es Úrsula Hilaria Celia Caridad Cruz- de una joven tímida durante la pre revolución de la Habana, en Cuba, donde los hombres dominaban el mundo de la música, a una figura internacionalmente famosa.

 -          El padre de Celia se oponía a que ella cantara, pues en esa época las mujeres que lo hacían eran percibidas cómo fáciles o mujeres que andaban en malos pasos.

 -          Antes de que llegara Pedro Knight a conquistar el corazón de Celia Cruz, la cantante tuvo un novio. En la serie ¨Celia¨, conoceremos quien fue este individuo y cómo conoció a Pedro Knight.

 -          Celia Cruz abandonó Cuba junto a su esposo Pedro Knight y a la Sonora Matancera en 1960.

 -          Aunque muchos se opusieron a que Celia Cruz cantara, la Sonora Matancera la recibió cuando ella era muy joven. Cruz reemplazo a Myrta Silva y en 1950 grabó su primer tema “Cao, Cao Maní Picao” de José Carbó Menéndez.

 "Celia", una producción de Fox Telecolombia y RCN licenciada para Telemundo, cuenta con 80 episodios que se filmaron en Colombia y partes de Puerto Rico. Los actores trabajaron durante nueve meses para narrar la vida y el legado de Cruz, quien murió en el 2003, a los 78 años, en Nueva Jersey.

 No te pierdas el gran estreno de ¨Celia¨, a través de Telemundo Internacional, el próximo domingo 16 de octubre a las 8:00pm

Estrenos los domingos con repeticiones los sábados

Para más detalles, visita www.telemundointernacional.com y súmate a la conversación a través de nuestras redes sociales:

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 http://www.telemundo.com/

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@TelemundoIntl

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 Contacto de Prensa:

Vanessa Tartak

Gerente, Relaciones Públicas

NBCUniversal International Networks

t. 786-394-1358

e. vanessa.tartak@nbcuni.com

  Acerca de NBCUniversal International Networks

NBCUniversal International Networks es una de las redes de entretenimiento más importantes del mundo, brindando contenidos y marcas de alto impacto a 176 territorios en Europa, Oriente Medio, África, América Latina y Asia Pacífico. El portafolio incluye Universal Channel, Syfy, E! Entertainment Television, 13th Street, DIVA, Studio Universal, Telemundo, BRAVO, The Style Network y Golf Channel. Estas marcas ofrecen grandes experiencias de entretenimiento a audiencias en todo el mundo; el portafolio también incluye Movies 24 en el Reino Unido. Adicionalmente, NBCUniversal News Group, uno de los portafolios más influyentes y respetados de noticias al-aire y digitales en el mundo, opera internacionalmente CNBC y NBC News.

 NBCUniversal International Networks es una división de NBCUniversal, una de las principales compañías globales de medios y entretenimiento en el desarrollo, producción y mercadeo de entretenimiento, noticias e información para una audiencia global. NBCUniversal posee y opera un valioso portafolio de canales de televisión, noticias y entretenimiento, así como una importante compañía de cine, significativas operaciones de producción de televisión, un grupo líder de estaciones de televisión y los renombrados parques temáticos. NBCUniversal es propiedad de Comcast Corporation.

[efe-es1405-yahoopartner-blog]

Alonso y Serna quieren empoderar a las mujeres con una comedia "negra"

Los Ángeles, 26 feb (EFE).- La actriz cubano-venezolana María Conchita Alonso presenta este martes en Los Ángeles su nueva película como protagonista, "He matado a mi marido", una comedia negra con la española Assumpta Serna en un papel destacado y que, según dijo a Efe, busca que las mujeres se empoderen y venzan sus miedos. "Es una película para decirle a las mujeres que no podemos permitir que nos traten mal, que debemos ser fuertes y decir ya basta", dijo Alonso, conocida por sus fuertes opiniones políticas. En la cinta escrita y dirigida por el venezolano Francisco Lupini Basagoiti, que se verá a partir del 1 de marzo en los cines de Estados Unidos, Alonso encarna a Remedios, una acaudalada mujer que mata a su infiel marido unas horas antes de una gran fiesta en honor a él. Mientras los invitados y los hijos de la pareja llegan al festejo, la protagonista tendrá que esconder el cuerpo, tratar de pasar la noche sin ser descubierta y encontrar la salida a un problema que no parece tener solución. Grabada en su totalidad en Miami y en español, "He matado a mi marido" tendrá su estreno este martes en el teatro Harmony Gold en Los Ángeles. Aunque es una comedia, la actriz dice que la historia está cargada de drama y es un reflejo de los problemas que muchas mujeres deben enfrentar en su vida cotidiana. Alonso describe a su personaje como una mujer que no se quiere, que tiene la autoestima por los suelos y que vive en una especie de negación que no termina hasta que no ve a su esposo en la cama con otra. En medio de la tragedia que Remedios enfrenta, la mujer encuentra que no está sola en esta lucha. Bertha, la criada que la ha acompañado por varios años, un personaje interpretado por la española Assumpta Serna (Matador, The Borgias, The Craft), se unirá a ella en la tarea de ocultar la muerte del homenajeado en la fiesta, incluso cuando las autoridades se hacen presentes. "Como española nunca piensas que tu vas a ser la del servicio, es una situación difícil de tragar. Pero esta propuesta rompe con los estereotipos y los clichés que la criada no puede ser una europea", dijo Serna desde Madrid en una entrevista telefónica. Aunque Bertha no es la protagonista de la cinta, como el personaje de Yalitza Aparicio en "Roma", sí refuerza el mensaje de que las trabajadoras del servicio hacen parte vital en la vida de una familia y una representación de lo que significa la solidaridad. Serna también destaca que la película está pensada y dirigida a un público latino. "Es importante que los latinos se vean representados en estas historias, la película es una representación de la diversidad de migrantes que tiene Estados Unidos", recalca Serna. Eduardo Yáñez, Guy Ecker, Alicia Machado, Modesto Lacén, Fernanda Romero, Bernard Bullen, Edwin Kho, Tomás Decurgez, Laura Bayonas, Eduardo Román, Marianne Bourg, David Vega, Luis Ernesto Franco, y Nikita Bogolyubov hacen parte de una película que también habla sobre los matrimonios interraciales. Reunir un elenco representativo de la comunidad migrante era la apuesta del venezolano Lupini Basagoiti, pero la película nació de su "deseo de celebrar los roles de mujeres fuertes en el cine", señala el director. "A medida que los eventos trágicos y caóticos se desarrollan a su alrededor, sentimos el intenso amor de Remedios por su marido y la desesperación de su pérdida y la animamos a que encuentre el coraje para forjar un nuevo comienzo, una nueva identidad para ella misma", agregó. Alonso, la actriz de "Predator 2" y "The Running Man", entre otros filmes, agrega que la película llega en un momento en que los latinos necesitan "un respiro" para todos los problemas que enfrentan en la actualidad. Tanto Alonso como Serna asistirán a varias de las proyecciones después del estreno para entablar con el público una conversación sobre el tema. "En medio de las risas y carcajadas de esta película queremos entablar una charla sobre cómo las mujeres, las latinas, debemos tomar las riendas de nuestra vida y empoderarnos", recalcó Alonso. Fotograma cedido por Palabra Films donde aparece la actriz María Conchita Alonso en el papel de Remedios Grande durante una escena de la comedia "He matado a mi marido", escrita y dirigida por el venezolano Francisco Lupini Basagoiti, y que se verá a partir del 1 de marzo en los cines de Estados Unidos. EFE/Palabra Films Fotograma cedido por Palabra Films donde aparece la actriz María Conchita Alonso en el papel de Remedios Grande durante una escena de la comedia "He matado a mi marido", escrita y dirigida por el venezolano Francisco Lupini Basagoiti, y que se verá a partir del 1 de marzo en los cines de Estados Unidos. EFE/Palabra Films