International Puerto Rican Heritage Film Festival Announces 2025 Award Winners Celebrating 15th Anniversary

The International Puerto Rican Heritage Film Festival (IPRHFF) has announced the winners of its 2025 edition, marking a significant milestone year of exceptional achievements in film, storytelling, and Puerto Rican cultural representation. Celebrating its 15th anniversary, the festival was held from November 12-16 and featured a selection of 104 submitted films in a dynamic three-day showcase of shorts, feature films, documentaries, and music videos from Puerto Rico and around the world.

This year's selections highlighted both emerging and established filmmakers whose creativity continues to elevate and expand the narratives of the Puerto Rican and Latinx diaspora. The festival's mission focuses on celebrating heritage, empowering storytellers, and amplifying the diverse experiences of the community through cinematic expression.

Veronica Caicedo, Founder and CEO of IPRHFF, expressed honor in recognizing such powerful and inspiring films, noting that each winner reflects the spirit of the festival's mission. The award winners represent a diverse range of genres and storytelling approaches that showcase the richness of Puerto Rican cultural expression.

Among the notable winners, @love received the Best Narrative Feature award, while Remembering Big Juan: "Chi Chi" Rodriguez Story earned the Best Documentary Film honor. The screenplay category saw Bruja winning Best Screenplay and La Doña taking Best Short Script. In the short film categories, Mulata won Best Live Action Short and Betty Bird Goes to War received Honorable Mention recognition.

The festival also recognized outstanding individual achievements with Washington M. Perez winning Best Actor for his performance in Blink and Vanyarianna Ortiz Marquez earning Best Actress for her role in Mulata. The Estrella Boriquena Award went to A West Side Story Story, celebrating exceptional Puerto Rican storytelling. Additional category winners included Playing Through for Best Documentary Short, A Media Luna for Best Music Video, The Ladder for Best Director, Deformed / Deforme for Best Thriller, and Last Words for the Audience Choice Award.

The International Puerto Rican Heritage Film Festival's mission centers on creating platforms that allow a diverse pool of influencers in filmmaking to reach broader audiences. The organization develops programs that enable local and international filmmakers, from emerging artists to film industry veterans, to connect with audiences throughout New York City and beyond. This year's successful edition reinforces the festival's commitment to fostering a collaborative environment for artists from all countries to explore issues inherent to the heritage of Puerto Rico, its diaspora, and stories relevant to the larger Latino community.