Todo Parecía Posible (Everything Seemed Possible), dir. Ramón Rivera Moret, USA 2025, 102 min., English and Spanish with English subtitles
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In this fascinating new archival documentary Ramón Rivera Moret explores a utopian moment in the history of Puerto Rico, through the film unit of the Division of Community Education and the scores of short films it made in rural communities from the late 1940s through the 1960s.
The Puerto Rican film unit was the dream of Luis Muñoz Marín, the island’s first local governor under United States rule. Formed as part of Operation Bootstrap, Muñoz Marín’s extensive programme of economic and social reforms, the film unit’s aim was to make films in and with the communities in the countryside, and with the jibaros (self-employed rural agricultural workers). The films were to have a social purpose, educating people about their rights and responsibilities, as well as identifying various problems and proposing solutions.
Remarkably, these films were not simple propaganda for Muñoz Marin’s US-aligned government. Allowed an unusual measure of independence, the film unit— comprising Puerto Rico’s first filmmakers, such as Amílcar Tirado and Benjamín Doniger, and led by Ukrainian émigré Jack Delano—made films that sought to push back against the administration’s programmes of mass industrialisation and initiatives encouraging migration to the cities and the US.
Instead, these poetic documentaries and neorealist fictions reflected the power of collective action and solidarity among the ordinary Puerto Rican people, and their connection to the land. The films were screened initially in the rural communities in which they were made, though several would go on be exhibited outside the island, winning acclaim at international film festivals.
Interspersed with stories from Ramón Rivera Moret’s family about the film unit and life in Puerto Rico during this period, Todo Parecía Posible memorialises a key period in the island’s modern history, and a foundational—if neglected—movement in Caribbean and Latin American cinema.
The Short Films of the Puerto Rican film unit screen on September 11, followed by a Q&A with Ramón Rivera Moret and curator Jonathan Ali.
The Puerto Rican film unit was the dream of Luis Muñoz Marín, the island’s first local governor under United States rule. Formed as part of Operation Bootstrap, Muñoz Marín’s extensive programme of economic and social reforms, the film unit’s aim was to make films in and with the communities in the countryside, and with the jibaros (self-employed rural agricultural workers). The films were to have a social purpose, educating people about their rights and responsibilities, as well as identifying various problems and proposing solutions.
Remarkably, these films were not simple propaganda for Muñoz Marin’s US-aligned government. Allowed an unusual measure of independence, the film unit— comprising Puerto Rico’s first filmmakers, such as Amílcar Tirado and Benjamín Doniger, and led by Ukrainian émigré Jack Delano—made films that sought to push back against the administration’s programmes of mass industrialisation and initiatives encouraging migration to the cities and the US.
Instead, these poetic documentaries and neorealist fictions reflected the power of collective action and solidarity among the ordinary Puerto Rican people, and their connection to the land. The films were screened initially in the rural communities in which they were made, though several would go on be exhibited outside the island, winning acclaim at international film festivals.
Interspersed with stories from Ramón Rivera Moret’s family about the film unit and life in Puerto Rico during this period, Todo Parecía Posible memorialises a key period in the island’s modern history, and a foundational—if neglected—movement in Caribbean and Latin American cinema.
The Short Films of the Puerto Rican film unit screen on September 11, followed by a Q&A with Ramón Rivera Moret and curator Jonathan Ali.
Book tickets
06:45 pm
Fri, 12 Sep 2025
Cinema 2
04:45 pm
Sat, 13 Sep 2025
Cinema 2
04:45 pm
Sun, 14 Sep 2025
Cinema 2
06:30 pm
Tue, 16 Sep 2025
Cinema 2
04:10 pm
Wed, 17 Sep 2025
Cinema 1
04:10 pm
Thu, 18 Sep 2025
Cinema 2
Ticket information
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Access information
Cinema 1
- Both our Cinemas have step free access from The Mall and are accessible by ramp
- We have 1 wheelchair allocated space with a seat for a companion
- All seats are hard back, have a crushed velvet feel and they do not recline
- These are our seat size dimensions: W 42 x D 45 x H 52
- Arm rest either side of the seat dimensions: L 27 x W 7 x H 20
for the following requirements:
- We have unassigned seating. If you require a specific seat, please reserve this in advance
- Free for visitors where ticket prices are a barrier, please email
Cinema 2
- Both our Cinemas have step free access from The Mall and are accessible by ramp
- All seats are hard back, have a crushed velvet feel and they do not recline
- These are our seat size dimensions: W 42 x D 45 x H 52
- Arm rest either side of the seat dimensions: L 27 x W 7 x H 20
for the following requirements:
- We have a removable seat to create a wheelchair allocated space, please contact to organise this prior to the date and time of the screening
- We have unassigned seating. If you require a specific seat, please reserve this in advance
- Free for visitors where ticket prices are a barrier, please email
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no. 236848.