Saturday in Week Cuatro: A Day at Taller Puertorriqueño
PHLAFF 2025 transforms Taller Puertorriqueño (2600 N 5th St, Philadelphia, PA 19133) into an all-day cinematic sanctuary this Saturday. From morning mysticism to late-night legend, each screening expands on themes of memory, resilience, identity, and imagination. Whether you're drawn to slow-burning features or eclectic short blocks, Taller will be buzzing with stories that move across time, genre, and continents.
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11:00 AM — Líneas Paralelas (Parallel Lines)
(LOLA Award - Features | Panama | 130 minutes)
Tito crafts magical wooden crosses, gifted with transformative powers. As his path intertwines with Charito, a weary caregiver, and Silvia, an exiled writer returning to Panama, his waking life begins to blur with haunting visions of a kidnapped girl he feels destined to save. Parallel Lines is a quietly mystical tale of destiny, memory, and healing — a spiritual drama grounded in deeply personal stakes.
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1:15 PM — Ramirito
(Los Features | Bolivia, U.S., Argentina, Canada | 58 minutes)
This charming documentary celebrates Ramiro de la Zerda — to some, a revered Bolivian composer; to others, simply Ramirito. Blending archival material and contemporary reflections, it paints a portrait of an artist whose music transcends borders and generations. A thoughtful tribute to artistic legacy and the quiet heroes of Latin American culture.
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2:30 PM — Assorted Shorts Block
(LOLA Award - Shorts + Los Shorts | 78 minutes)
A kaleidoscopic mix of voices and visuals, this short block moves from physical pain to cultural identity, artistic freedom, and youthful anxiety.
• Flashlight – Three vignettes illuminate Julia’s inner world as she confronts the emotional weight of moving.
• Shorthanded – A Latino hockey player fights injury and prejudice in a bid for inclusion.
• VICTORINE – A dancer straddles two worlds: her Haitian lineage and her American upbringing.
• LENGUA – A tender look at a young migrant’s school anxiety.
• Edel Rodriguez: Freedom is a Verb – An energetic portrait of the celebrated Cuban-American visual artist whose work confronts power with color and clarity.
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4:30 PM — Sci-Fi Shorts Block
(LOLA Award - Shorts + Los Shorts | 75 minutes)
Fantasy and futurism take center stage in this block of bold, offbeat visions.
• LAS FALDAS DE TU PRIMA – Three teens, one summer, and a giant robot — a coming-of-age story meets genre chaos.
• The After – A grieving wife discovers the dark mystery behind her husband's coma.
• LUPE Q AND THE GALACTIC CORNCAKE – Punk rock meets alien apocalypse in a joyful fusion of Latinx culture and intergalactic chaos.
• Baile, Botella & Barajas – Playing cards, politics, and eccentric royalty collide in this playful satire.
• Deformed – A visceral horror tale of a young man cursed by an insatiable condition.
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5:00 PM — El episodio
(Los Features | Puerto Rico | 108 minutes)
Natalie isolates herself after a traumatic event — just as an apocalyptic storm descends on society. While others panic, she clings to routine, watching her favorite show. But the storm creeps inward, forcing her to confront deeper fears. El episodio is part social parable, part psychological thriller — a meditation on avoidance, trauma, and finding courage when the world unravels.
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6:30 PM — El Spooky Shorts Block
(LOLA Award - Shorts + Los Shorts | 80 minutes)
Night falls, and Taller turns ghostly with this eerie horror block.
• La Piedra Roja – In 1909 Guadalajara, a cursed pre-Hispanic idol unleashes terror in a colonial mansion.
• El Jacho – A slasher-style love letter to Puerto Rican folklore, where local legend becomes bloodcurdling reality.
• Vivir – A mysterious immortal helps a despairing artist rediscover life’s worth.
• La noche del sereno – A night watchman in a surreal factory discovers he's not as alone as he believes.
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8:00 PM — Golpe de Agua
(Puerto Rico | 90 minutes)
The night concludes with this reflective and urgent documentary. Golpe de Agua examines Puerto Rico’s reckoning with the illusion of “progress” post-Hurricane María. Through collective memory and existential inquiry, the film makes a case for deeper climate awareness — not just as environmentalism, but as cultural survival. A quiet but commanding close to a day filled with cinematic resistance.
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Secure your tickets now at phlaff25.eventive.org/schedule.
