BY ROSALBA ROLÓN
The 9th edition of our 21 Islands International Short Film Fest has begun!
What’s in a number? A decade ago, I felt a deep desire to explore art created by artists living on islands around the world. Born and raised in Puerto Rico, I’ve always been an island girl. Over the years, as I visited other islands and formed more connections, my mental map of the world expanded. Growing up, we learned the textbook definition: “an island is a body of land surrounded by water.” But as I grew older, I realized that being an island doesn’t mean isolation. Islands are connected in countless ways—to other islands and to continents.
My first international trip as a child was to the Dominican Republic, which shares a beautiful island with Haiti. I’ll never forget that trip—it was my official quinceañera!
When I moved to New York years later, I connected with different kinds of islands, like Manhattan, Staten Island, and even smaller, lesser-known islands around New York City. Through Pregones/PRTT’s rich Touring Program, we discovered even more: island cities, island territories, island municipalities, and island nations. It’s been a true post-graduate course in Geography.
Initially, we dreamed of bringing performing artists from islands worldwide together—a beautiful vision, but at the time, impractical. Then, in a conversation with filmmaker Melisa Ramos, we explored the idea of a film festival to make a global call to artists living and creating on islands, regardless of their size or status. Fresh from attending a short-film festival in Puerto Rico, Melisa brought invaluable insights into the logistics of launching such an event. After discussing it with my colleagues at Pregones, the 21 Islands International Short Film Fest was born.
We worked tirelessly, creating guidelines, calls for submissions, and timelines. In our inaugural year, nine years ago, we received close to 200 films from over 70 islands—a promising start.
This year, we selected 48 films from 21 islands around the globe from nearly 3,000 submissions representing over 300 islands. The shortest film is two minutes; the longest, 20. Our selection panel, led by filmmaker Melisa Ramos, has been a cornerstone of the festival since its inception.
The festival is streamed entirely online, with films grouped into categories and opportunities to vote in various award categories.
The themes, genres, and aesthetics are vast—ranging from Cuban bees and late-in-life dating to coming-of-age stories, border crossings, and even interplanetary conversations. The diversity is remarkable. Animation, experimental works, drama, comedy—every genre is welcome in this celebration of global storytelling.
Our 2025 Selection Panel, consisting of Loló Belló, Miguel Miller, Vanessa Verduga, and Leonardo Zelig, brings expertise from film, acting, and directorial fields. Their dedication and hard work have been instrumental in curating this year’s lineup.
And for you, our esteemed audience? The Audience Favorite Awards amplify the voices of these talented filmmakers. You can support your favorites by voting in various categories—details are at the bottom of each group’s page on our website.
Here’s the link to our Festival page: 21 Islands International Short Film Fest – Pregones/PRTT Your job? Watch, have fun, and vote!
As for navigating the roadmap to each island? Grab Google Maps—or better yet, visit our Festival page and click on any group. Our visuals will guide you on a virtual journey to each island represented.
Ah, and why “21 Islands”? The number 21 is cherished in our community—whether you’re a baseball fan or not (Roberto Clemente, anyone?). We wanted this meaningful number to be part of our work, and we did it!
Enjoy the 21 Islands International Film Fest, streaming online through February 2nd. And remember: Watch! Vote!
BUT WAIT! THERE’S MORE!
Both Pregones Theater in The Bronx and the Puerto Rican Traveling Theater in Manhattan are buzzing with events in the coming months. I’ll be back with updates, but in the meantime, start planning for:
- 48 Hours in The Bronx
- March Is Music
- Parrots at the Pagoda
- And more!
Photo Credits, clockwise from top lef, all film stills courtesy of the artists: BENDEN SANA (OVER TO YOU) Islas Baleares, Director: Tao Farren-Hefer; GONDANG KELI Indonesia, Director: Moch Alvi; THE ISLAND Islas Baleares, Director: Mahmut Taş; THE ʻĀINA WITHIN Hawaii, Director: Marcus Goh.