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Everything Seemed Possible (Todo parecía posible) + ScreenTalk with Ramón Rivera Moret and film curator Jonathan Ali

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Everything Seemed Possible

Ramón Rivera Moret's compelling archival documentary revisiting a utopian chapter in Puerto Rico’s history through dozens of short films made in rural communities from the late 1940s to the 1960s.

In this documentary, Ramón Rivera Moret uncovers a visionary chapter in Puerto Rico’s history through the lens of the Division of Community Education’s ground-breaking film unit.

Born from Governor Luis Muñoz Marín’s Operation Bootstrap in the late 1940s, the unit produced dozens of short films with and for rural communities, aiming to educate, empower, and inspire social change. Led by Jack Delano and pioneering local filmmakers like Amílcar Tirado, these poetic documentaries defied simple propaganda, often challenging the government’s industrial push and rural displacement. 

Blending family memories with rare archival footage, Rivera Moret crafts a moving tribute to grassroots creativity, resistance, and the enduring spirit of the Puerto Rican people.

With thanks to Jonathan Ali.

This event is in partnership with Open City Documentary Festival and the ICA.

Some of the films discussed in the film can be seen as part of a special programme at the ICA: https://ica.art/films/short-films-of-the-puerto-rican-film-unit

£10.40

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£6

14–25? Join Young Barbican for free

Subject to availability 

Students £11

Unwaged £11

Over 60s £11

Under 18s £6

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