What does it mean to be Puerto Rican? The award-winning independent film “Esta Isla” is posing that question at film screenings in New Haven on Tuesday, Sept. 29 and in Fairfield on Wednesday, Sept. 30.
“Esta Isla” follows Bebo, a teenager who is living on the coast of Puerto Rico trying to survive through economic hardship. He falls in love with Lola who wants to escape her privileged life. After getting into trouble through shady dealings, the two flee into the mountains of Puerto Rico.
“Through this story, we can see this coming of age of our main characters, but also the coming of age of Puerto Rico as a society itself,” said Director Cristian Carretero.
Carretero said the film explores the complex beauty of Puerto Rico’s history and contemporary issues.
Director Lorraine Jones Molina said that exploration makes Puerto Rico itself a character in the film.
“In Puerto Rico, there's a lot of stories that are hidden,” Jones Molina said. “This [film] is bringing them all up to the forefront and recognizing them, acknowledging them. In this way, there is this coming of age of understanding.”
Both Carretero and Jones Molina said they felt a need to explore the issues and questions around Puerto Rican identity growing up on the island, given its complicated ties with the United States.
“Even though we have a strong culture and we defend it and are very explicit about who we are, there's still this murkiness of our identity,” Carretero said. “For us, it was important to create a film that captures that essence that sometimes is very elusive and intangible.”
According to Jones Molina, they faced several obstacles in making the film, but they didn’t take no for an answer. One example is the intentional decision to work with a low budget.
“We wanted to show that you can make a film that adjusts to our reality in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean,” Carretero said.
It paid off. The film received the John Cassavetes Award at the Film Independent 2026 Spirit Awards. The honor is given to the best feature made for under $1 million.
The film also won several recognitions at the 2025 Tribeca Film Festival, including Best Cinematography in a U.S. Narrative Feature, Best New Narrative Director, and a special jury mention for Best U.S. Narrative Feature.
For Jones Molina, this success validates that there is an audience and an interest in Puerto Rican storytelling. That, in turn, validates Puerto Ricans and their place in cinema, she said.
![“Esta Isla” (This Island) “In Puerto Rico, there's a lot of stories that are hidden,” Director Lorraine Jones Molina said. “This [film] is bringing them all up to the forefront and recognizing them, acknowledging them. In this way, there is this coming of age of understanding.”](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/a7914f7/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3000x2000+0+0/resize/840x560!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F1b%2F76%2F198304a2480b8239b67d6099df77%2Fdirector-lorraine-jones-molina-photo-creds-to-cristian-carretero-xx.jpg)
“That's the power that filmmaking, storytelling, and art can have,” she said. “Through art, through culture, we can say we exist.”
Creating dialogue and community
“Esta Isla” is making two stops in Connecticut with the BoriCorridor Screening Tour. Elsa Mosquera-Sterenberg is one of the tour's organizers as a co-founder of Ágora Cultural Architects. According to her, the film aligns with the goals of BoriCorridor.
“As our political reality of being a colony of the U.S., everything is questioned. Identity is one of the most questioned things as a Puerto Rican growing up,” she said.
Mosquera-Sterenberg wanted to help build a corridor for Puerto Rican artists from the island to find more space and opportunity in the U.S., hence the play on words of Boricua (meaning Puerto Rican) and corridor.
“That is the only thing that nobody will take away [from us]: who we are, how we express ourselves, and what we believe in,” she said.
Audiences at the screenings will have a chance to reflect on contemporary Puerto Rican experiences through post-film discussions, she said. In doing so, Mosquera-Sterenberg said she hopes there will be long-lasting community bonding.
“We are in a time where we need to come together,” she said. “Getting all of us together in these different spaces… is super powerful, just to be together, to talk about Puerto Rico [and] our reality.”
Puertorriqueño or not, Mosquera-Sterenberg said everyone is welcome, because “Esta Isla” is a universal story.
Learn more
The film screenings of the “Esta Isla” BoriCorridor Screening Tour in Connecticut include:
- Tuesday, Sept. 29: Albertus Magnus College in New Haven, CT at 7 p.m. Registration is free.
- Wednesday, Sept. 30: Sacred Heart University Community Theater in Fairfield, CT at 7 p.m. Tickets are at $16 for regular attendees and $14 for students/kids and senior citizens.
