For the First Time Dominican Films Exhibited in Canada

Ottawa – May 23, 2019 – The Embassy of the Dominican Republic in Canada, co-sponsored by the Ministry of Tourism and the Dominican General Film Directorate (DGCINE) will exhibit from May 28-31 a selection of Dominican films in Ottawa and Montreal. The films will be exhibited free of charge and will give lovers of Latin American films the opportunity to become familiar with the Dominican film industry. The films exhibited will also include documentaries, comedies and drama.

The Film Exhibit will begin in Ottawa-Gatineau, in the main auditorium of the Mexico-Canada Autonomous University (UNAM-Canada). A new film will be exhibited daily from May 28-30, beginning at 6:00 p.m.

The Exhibit will open on May 28 with the film “Hay un país en el mundo” (There is a Country in the World, non-official translation), followed by Colours, on May 29. The film Juanita will be featured on May 30.

The exhibit will continue in Montreal in the “Cinéma Impérial,” on May 31. Again, the Exhibit in Montreal will open with “Hay un país en el mundo” and “Colours.” Film showings will be at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m., respectively. All films exhibited will have English subtitles.

Juanita: The Perfect Combination of Drama and Comedy

The film Juanita tells the story of an undocumented Dominican immigrant who falls in love with Mariano, a Spanish farmer. When Juanita takes Mariano to her home in Santo Domingo during the Christmas holidays, Mariano will have to learn everything there is to know about Dominican culture. Juanita is the perfect combination between comedy and drama, including stories on immigration, love and survival.

Hay Un País En El Mundo: A Documentary that Invites the Viewer to Reflect on the Human Condition

Hay un país en el mundo takes its title from a poem written by Pedro Mir, the Dominican Republic’s National Poet. The documentary highlights the cultural identity of the Dominican Republic and provides the viewer with the natural environment of the country and its cultural identity. It also offers a vivid tour of the country’s natural beauty, as well as describes its literature, culture, gastronomy, music, and much more.

Colours: An Inspiring Drama

Colours is about a young Dominican artist from the countryside who never signs her paintings. She decides to pursue her artistic career in spite of the poverty that surrounds her and the opposition faced by her father.

“The showing of these films represents the first time this sort of event is coordinated by the official representatives of the Dominican Republic in Canada, with the support of the Dominican Film Directorate. DGCINE is responsable for the country’s movie industry. This event is very important for us because it is not a simple exhibit of our industry, or an isolated movie event, but hopes to be the beginning of a series of similar events. The goal of the event is to provide viewers with our best movie productions. But, above all, to present our young Dominican film producers to the country where the event is taking place,” explained Ambassador Pedro Vergés Ciman.

“Films are the lens through which we can better understand the places that may seem foreign to us. Movies give life to human stories that are frequently universal themes. We hope that the movies exhibited, as part of this first showing of Dominican films in Canada, give viewers a new perspective on our country, which is so loved by Canadians,” stated Cosette García, Director of the Dominican Tourism Promotion Office in Montreal.