The International Puerto Rican Heritage Film Festival (IPRHFF) has announced the winners of its 2025 edition, marking a significant milestone during its 15th anniversary celebration. The festival, held from November 12-16, showcased 104 submitted films through a dynamic three-day program featuring shorts, feature films, documentaries, and music videos from Puerto Rico and international creators. This year's selections emphasized both emerging and established filmmakers whose creative work continues to expand and elevate narratives about the Puerto Rican and Latinx diaspora experience.
Veronica Caicedo, Founder and CEO of IPRHFF, expressed pride in recognizing these powerful films, stating that each winner reflects the festival's core mission of celebrating heritage, empowering storytellers, and amplifying the diverse experiences of the Puerto Rican community. The festival's recognition of these works matters because it provides crucial visibility for stories that often remain underrepresented in mainstream media, offering authentic perspectives on Puerto Rican culture and diaspora experiences that challenge stereotypes and broaden understanding.
The 2025 award winners represent a diverse range of cinematic achievements. @love received the Best Narrative Feature award, while Remembering Big Juan: "Chi Chi" Rodriguez Story earned the Best Documentary Film honor. Bruja won Best Screenplay, and La Doña took home the Best Short Script award. The Best Live Action Short recognition went to Mulata, which also featured Vanyarianna Ortiz Marquez winning Best Actress for her portrayal of "Adina." Washington M. Perez earned Best Actor for his performance as "Cesar" in Blink.
Additional honors included Playing Through for Best Documentary Short, A West Side Story Story receiving the Estrella Boriquena Award, and A Media Luna winning Best Music Video. The festival also recognized The Ladder with Best Director, Deformed / Deforme as Best Thriller, and Last Words with the Audience Choice Award. Betty Bird Goes to War received an Honorable Mention, rounding out the distinguished list of recognized works.
The importance of these awards extends beyond individual recognition, as they contribute to building sustainable career pathways for Puerto Rican and Latinx filmmakers. By providing platforms for diverse influencers in filmmaking to reach broader audiences, IPRHFF helps address representation gaps in the entertainment industry. The festival's mission focuses on developing programs that allow both local and international filmmakers, from emerging artists to industry veterans, to connect with audiences throughout New York City and beyond.
This recognition matters because it fosters a collaborative environment for artists from all countries to explore issues inherent to Puerto Rican heritage and diaspora experiences while also addressing stories relevant to the larger Latino community. The festival's impact extends to cultural preservation, community building, and creating economic opportunities for filmmakers whose work might otherwise struggle to find distribution or recognition in competitive film markets.
