Fellow UPR students, are you interested in film? Do you enjoy debates or forums about film? Are you searching for a community where your intellectual perspective on film is listened to, responded to, and respected? Look no further!
Club Cineforo is the newest film club to hit our UPR campus. Inaugurated last Spring semester of 2025, it began as a small club founded by students Forrest Maclean and Mia González, who are Psychology and Film majors respectively. Built with the purpose of creating a community where film can be discussed in a safe space, the club hosts various activities that include student-led discussions,where students present short films of their choosing to their peers to share and discuss; Q&A conferences,such as bringing renowned campus professors like Daniel Nevárez Araújo and industry critics like Mario Alegre Femenías or indie filmmakers like Ray Figueroa; and thematic screenings, such as a Halloween screening of Jennifer’s Body.
In March 2025, the club’s first activity was a discussion of the 97th Oscars following a few very controversial topics involving some of the winners. Film buffs recall that last year’s wins were oddly distributed, particularly for films Anora (2024) and Emilia Perez (2024). Participants of last year’s first Cineforo activity mostly agreed that both films offered unremarkable stances in the industry as well as lacking the nuance of other fellow nominees such as Wicked (2024), The Substance (2024), and Conclave (2024). These forums tend to be quite aggressive or even toxic in online spaces due to the entrenched misogyny and racism that certain groups bring to these platforms. This type of behavior can discourage some aspiring film critics or filmmakers. However, Cineforo provides an in-person space for a relaxed discussion that helps alleviate any stress that these other places may induce.
Weeks later, the first screening was hosted for a local Puerto Rican film called Érase una vez en el Caribe (2023). With influences of Samurai films and spaghetti westerns, the film’s plot revolves around Juan Encarnación, a campesino (peasant or countryman) who goes on a revenge path to find his wife. Strewn with symbolism of our nation’s colonial wounds, Érase una vez en el Caribe brewed excitement among the small audience in attendance, who were brought together to witness joy towards local cinema that’s considered rare by general standards.
What followed closely after was a Q&A conference with none other than the director of the film, Ray Figueroa. As the first Q&A of the club, both students and the guest exchanged in an insightful conversation around the making of the film in addition to curiosities and concerns on the state of the Puerto Rican film industry.
Many activities have continued to expand the community that Cineforo has created, such as screening of Romance Tropical (1934). This was the second Spanish-language sound film, formerly considered lost media, that was presented on our campus by director Juan Emilio Viguié’s family. Another activity that contributed to the club’s rising popularity was the Q&A conference with film critic Mario Alegre Femenías. The film critic gave students an inside look at his career as an independent critic as well as the curator of the Retro Tuesdays program from Caribbean Cinemas. The main takeaway from this conference was that anyone can become part of the film industry, no matter how closely aligned or far off your academic or professional background may be. Many more activities are coming soon, such as collaborations with other clubs (like the recent screening of Love Letter in collaboration with the Japanese club). For students who are studying film, this may be the perfect platform to expand your networking connections along with creating bonds with like-minded new people!
Now… you may be asking yourself, what do I have to do to join? The beauty of this club is that absolutely any student can join, regardless of the faculty they belong to. You can be from Humanities, Communications, Natural Sciences, Architecture, Social Sciences, Education, among other areas and still join the club! The only requirement is being a student of UPR Río Piedras! To join the club, fill out this Google form. For more information on the club’s next activities, follow their Instagram page! Join us and experience discussing and watching films like never before on campus! You won’t regret it!