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JOSHUA HERNANDEZ | PUERTO RICO | 2026 | 15 MIN | ENGLISH + SPANISH EST

JOSHUA HERNANDEZ | PUERTO RICO | 2026 | 15 MIN | ENGLISH + SPANISH EST

VIRTUALShort

Subtitles: English

Synopsis

Gael visits their family in Puerto Rico at the height of summer, and soon meets Mateo, a handsome local who changes their life forever.

Filmmaker Bio

Joshua Hernandez (il/iel) est un·e cinéaste et acteur·ice d’origine portoricaine, né·e et élevé·e à Miami. Ses films ont été présentés dans des festivals internationaux, notamment à New Orleans, Leeds International, NewFest et Out on Film Atlanta. Iel a reçu le soutien du Miami Artist Grant, de la New York Foundation for the Arts et du Out on Film LGBTQ+ Atlanta Filmmaker Fund. Comme acteur·ice, Hernandez apparaît également dans The Walking Dead: Dead City, Dear Edward et The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

Director's Statement

As someone who grew up in the diaspora, my relationship with Puerto Rico has always been shaped by distance. […] That spirit guided the film's approach: an intimate portrait of queer love unfolding across Puerto Rico's landscapes and emotional terrain. […] Authenticity was essential to the project. I performed alongside my own abuela in her lifelong home, weaving lived experience directly into the fabric of the film. The result is both a romance and a meditation on diaspora, belonging, and the emotional geography that shapes who we are.

Producer

Samara Pérez Santiago, Raúl Abner Samrah, Shakira A. Calderón, Joshua Hernandez

Writer

Joshua Hernandez

Cast

  • Joshua Hernandez
  • Gabriel Leyva
  • Gina Fonseca
  • Luz Marina Montandon
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