The Puerto Rican Film LA PECERA (THE FISHBOWL) Will Have Its World Premiere at the Sundance World Cinema Dramatic Competition The Arresting Debut Film by Glorimar Marrero Sánchez Is a Powerful Drama about Resilience, Mortality, and the Struggle for Environmental Justice in Vieques
The Puerto Rican drama La Pecera (The Fishbowl), the arresting feature debut from interdisciplinary artist Glorimar Marrero Sánchez, will have its world premiere in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, taking place January 19-29.
Set in Vieques, a small island in the Puerto Rican archipelago that was a U.S. military testing ground for napalm, depleted uranium, agent orange, and other toxic munitions, La Pecera (The Fishbowl) tells the story of Noelia, a 40-year old artist (Isel Rodríguez in an elegant performance), who is faced with terminal cancer and decides to use what little time she has left to resist the legacy of U.S. colonialism.
When Noelia discovers her cancer has metastasized after several years in remission, she returns to her home in Vieques, where her mother lives. Without access to treatment on the island, she keeps her cancer a secret and throws herself into the work she had dedicated herself to years before—denouncing pollution left by the U.S. military. As Noelia’s health worsens and a hurricane threatens the island, she rekindles an old romance, and faces the decision to leave and seek treatment or stay with her community.
Director Marrero Sánchez is part of an exciting generation of female directors from Puerto Rico—along with Macha Colón (Perfume de Gardenias), Juliana Maité (Without Prescription) and Sofía Gallisá Muriente (Celaje)—that are decisively transforming how the island is portrayed on the big screen. Despite Puerto Rico’s status as a U.S. territory, La Pecera (The Fishbowl) will be one of the first from the island to participate in Sundance as an international film in the World Cinema Dramatic competition.
With a mostly female cast and crew, La Pecera (The Fishbowl) is a compelling drama and poignant commentary on environmental racism, colonialism and other urgent issues of our time, and demonstrates Marrero Sánchez as a unique and necessary voice from Puerto Rico.
Sundance Screenings:
Friday, January 20, 3pm at Holiday Village Cinema 3 — P&I Screening
Monday, January 23, 5:30pm at Egyptian Theater, Park City — World Premiere
Tuesday, January 24, 3pm at Broadway Centre Cinema 6, Salt lake City
Wednesday, January 25, 9am at Prospector Square Theater, Park City
Thursday, January 26, 7pm at Redstone Cinema 2, Park City
Friday, January 27, 11:30am at Holiday Village Cinema 1, Park City
Tuesday, January 24, 8am through Sunday, January 29, 11:55pm — Online
*Please note all screening times are on MST
