Everything Seemed Possible + Short Films of the Puerto Rican film unit

In the midst of the Cold War, Puerto Rico was rapidly industrializing and aligning itself with U.S. interests. Seeking to shape the narrative of a modernizing country, the government sent a group of artists into rural communities to make films about the country’s new direction. But what emerged was something far more unexpected. In close collaboration with residents, these artists created dozens of films that gained international recognition—works that powerfully questioned the official story of progress.

In Everything Seemed Possible, filmmaker Ramón Rivera Moret weaves the stories of these remarkable films with the memories of his family, crafting an intimate portrait of the filmmakers, their collaborations, and a moment in Puerto Rico marked by profound political and social transformation and the desire to imagine the country anew.

The feature will be accompanied by three original films from Puerto Rico’s Division of Community Education: La manos del hombre, Una voz en la montaña and Modesta.