Wiesner Distribution and Experimento Lúdico have announced the U.S. theatrical release of Esta Isla (This Island), the powerful debut narrative feature from filmmakers Lorraine Jones Molina and Cristian Carretero. The film made history as the first Puerto Rican production to win a Film Independent Spirit Award, receiving the John Cassavetes Award for Best Feature made under $1 million.
The thrilling coming-of-age drama—exploring identity and resilience in the Caribbean through the lens of Tropical Realism—will open March 20 at the Village East by Angelika in New York City, with select Q&As with the directors on opening weekend, before expanding to additional cities nationwide. The film will also open March 19 in Puerto Rico on more than 12 screens across the island, as well as in Miami at Cinépolis locations in Coconut Grove.
Esta Isla premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival last year, where it won three awards: Best New Narrative Director, Best Cinematography in a U.S. Narrative Feature, and a Special Jury Mention for Best U.S. Narrative Feature. Since then, the film has screened at numerous international festivals.
This gripping yet tender drama unfolds in a small seaside Puerto Rican town. Bebo, a teenager living with his older brother in a public housing complex, fishes to survive. As economic pressures mount, the brothers turn to illicit means for quick money. When a deal goes awry and blood is spilled, Bebo is forced to flee with Lola, his girlfriend from a wealthy but troubled family.
Their escape into Puerto Rico’s mountainous interior becomes a journey into the island’s living past. Sheltered by Cora in a rural community, Bebo and Lola uncover buried family histories intertwined with the pro-independence movement and local traditions—a striking contrast to the violence that follows them. As hitmen close in, Bebo must confront his choices and decide whether redemption is possible, or if the sea will become their final escape.
Jones Molina and Carretero’s richly layered debut announces a striking new voice in Caribbean cinema, centering characters too often erased and telling a story rooted in place, memory, and resistance. A love letter to Puerto Rico and its people, Esta Isla is a testament to the universal experience of survival on the margins.
