Genre
Synopsis
EL ARTE DE LA PESCA PUERTORRIQUEÑA ("The Art of Puerto Rican Fishing") is a hybrid investigative and observational documentary about commercial fisherpeople who practice artisanal fishing in the archipelago of Puerto Rico. They navigate a hostile environment having to contend with climate change, aggressive gentrification, tourism, and policies that don’t favor them. Artisanal fishing is the most sustainable form but isn’t considered a viable economic activity. Since it isn’t valued, there is little local or federal government support, and most of the policies established don’t favor them.
The struggle to survive is the skeleton of our story, but the heart of the story lies with the fisherpeople themselves and how they must contend with all the difficulties they face yet continue to maintain their way of life and their community. Artisanal fishing is a way of life and culture that is essential for the survival of marine resources. It is an identity that unites them and preserves the community.
Bio
Marisol Gómez-Mouakad, a filmmaker, artist, and educator from Puerto Rico, has a Master's degree in Media Studies with a concentration in Film Production and has participated in scriptwriting and acting workshops. Her two short films Rosa, and Lazos premiered at several festivals such as Boston Film Festival, Festival Tous Courts in France, Huesca Film Festival in Spain, Short Shorts Film Festival México, Borges en Curt 2006 in Spain, Cartagena International Film Festival, XXII Festival Internacional de Cine en Guadalajara. Her first feature-length film, Angelica, was selected by the IBERMEDIA Program to receive development support and in 2011 for co-production. She is Angelica's producer, screenwriter, director, and editor. Angelica was an official selection to the Curaçao International Film Festival Rotterdam, Trinidad & Tobago Film Festival, New York Latino Film Festival, African Diaspora Film Festival, Festival de Cine Global Dominicano, and Pan African Film Festival. Angelica received the Best Diaspora Narrative Film Award at the African Movie Academy Awards 2018, the Honorable Mention award at NYLFF 2017, and the lead actress received the best actress award at the Pan African Film Festival in Cannes, France. Currently, she has to documentaries (Nomadas Boricuas and Nomadas Ayiti) and a series in development. As a visual artist, she has had exhibitions in New York, Boston, and Puerto Rico.
