Dominican Film Showcase Opens in New York to Laughter and Applause with the Comedy Todos Los Hombres Son Iguales

Thursday November 17th, 2016

New York – The Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD) opened its Dominican Film Showcase in New York on Thursday night at Symphony Space with the comedy Todos los hombres son iguales, from Manuel Gómez Pereira. The event was attended by José Ramón Alamá, the movie’s producer and CEO of Bou Group, who introduced the film and chatted with the audience.

To welcome the Showcase – which helps stimulate Dominican cinema and promote it abroad while cultivating appreciation for the island’s culture – Yamile Eusebio, director of GFDD’s New York office, thanked the audience for attending and underlined the importance of their continued support for the Dominican film industry. After sharing a brief biography of Alamá, she invited him to take the stage to present the film.

The much-lauded comedy narrates the story of Joaquín, a recently divorced plane pilot, and Manolo and Juan Luis, his divorced friends. Together they set up rules to live their new singleton lives better – until everything changes when they try to seduce their housekeeper.

José Ramón Alamá, an entrepreneur who’s founded several companies notable for their innovation and quick growth in the financial sector and who has produced several successful film projects, commented that he and his team are very proud of their work, which has been received with great enthusiasm and became the highest-earning movie in the Dominican Republic in summer 2016, when it premiered in more than 140 theaters.

During the Q&A with the audience a young independent film producer took the mic and congratulated Alamá for the project, noting how despite some of the cast being foreigners they managed to maintain the Dominican accent. Another guest said that he “loved the movie and the subject,” as the comedy was different from those he was used to seeing in Dominican cinema. He also mentioned he planned to attend the next day’s screening as well.

To wrap up the event, Eusebio explained that in its mission to promote greater comprehension of and appreciation for Dominican culture and offer Dominican filmmakers the chance to screen for international audiences, GFDD creates alliances with international institutions and offers opportunities for global viewers to learn about Dominican culture, enjoy the country’s art, and chat with its moviemakers. Eusebio also invited Sonali Castillo, a young actress and film producer of Dominican descent, to the podium to share her experience. Castillo stated how proud she was to see how the Dominican film industry has developed, and mentioned that although she had only recently discovered all the talent and resources in the Dominican Republic because she had grown up and developed her career abroad, she would like to support it and work in the country.

About the Dominican Film Showcase
The Dominican Film Showcase aims to facilitate the enrichment of film culture in the Dominican Republic and introduce its movie productions to a broader audience. It also uses the seventh art as a platform for debate and a medium for raising social awareness and promoting constructive change while internationally introducing issues of historical and cultural importance to the Dominican community and cultivating Dominican filmmaking talent. With the Dominican Film Showcase, GFDD/Funglode’s objective is to present the best recent films from the Dominican Republic by Dominican filmmakers on Dominican issues, with the intention of capturing a full and positive vision of the country.

For more information:
www.globalfoundationdd.org
http://globalfoundationdd.org/project_films.asp

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