NYC PREMIERE Carlos “Taso” Zenón was a Puerto Rican fisherman and freedom fighter who organized against the US military’s occupation of his hometown, Vieques. He mounted a steadfast community resistance against the mighty American military system. From their small fishing boats, they fought for the freedom and autonomy of Puerto Ricans. Bringing together unseen archival footage, this film by Juan C. Dávila Santiago tells a David-and-Goliath story about a little-known fight against American imperialism. - Bedatri D. Choudhury
Zenon and the Rebel Boats is one of 10 nominated films in DOC NYC’s inaugural Archival Storytelling Competition, developed in collaboration with Archival Producers Alliance and co-presented by Footage.Net, Fox Archives, and Global ImageWorks. To see the list of other nominated films, click here.
The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with director/producer Juan C. Dávila; producer/editor Camila M. Rodríguez Estrada; archival producer Bian Elkhatib; production assistant/granddaughter of Carlos Zenón, Mía I. Zenón; and protagonist Yabureibo Zenón.
All in-person screening venues provide sound amplification headphones upon request with venue management. IFC Center can also provide a T-Coil loop for compatible devices.