This is something that’s very near and dear to my heart because I was born in a town called Constanza, in the mountains of La Vega Province, Dominican Republic. While my journey as a filmmaker is in its early stages, I know that my voice as a filmmaker is inescapably intertwined with the life that begin in the beautiful place that is the Dominican Republic.

This series will be broken into a few parts (probably five) to decipher, analyze, and showcase the powerhouse that Dominican Cinema is and is becoming.

I hope it serves as an introduction to something very special happening in the Caribbean.

This is a story about a country that was historically marred by suffering, oppression, and societal and economic upheaval, and that has always sought ways to be part of the larger world. My goal here is to introduce you to the voice of a country that has, for a hundred years, sought to contribute to the conversation of cinema.

Pa’lante.

It is easy to forget that film and cinema have been around for just about 130 years. When Auguste and Louis Lumière unveiled the Cinematograph in 1895, everything changed. One Franc in 1895 would introduce you to something magical and surreal.

The film titled “Workers Leaving the Lumière Factory” (La Sortie des ouvriers de l’usine Lumière à Lyon) would last about 46-50 seconds and shift the perspective of storytelling entirely, but also communal experience. Although Eadweard Muybridge, in 1878, was the first person to line up cameras next to each other, connect a trip wire to go off in succession as a horse galloped by, and prove once that all four hoofs left the ground, the Lumière Brothers’ invention was the first to make motion pictures commercially viable.

Instead of sharing a picture of what it looked like, I’m sharing a very cool video I found on YouTube of a man using an actual cinematograph to show how it works.

It has been a little over 130 years since the magic of motion pictures arrived, and…WOW. What an incredible ride it has been.

From the early years to the Golden Era of Hollywood, to the New Waves, Noir, Blockbusters, Franchises, and we could keep going on and on because of the many movements there have been with film. In the 1990s, America saw the rise of independent cinema, following the spirit of the French New Wave of the 1960s.

Interestingly enough, every country that has ever experimented with cinema has had its own path, however straight, narrow, or curved.

Every country, like every human, must go through stages in life. In childhood, we learn to crawl, then run, then eventually learn our times tables, and then mature through high school, learning about social circles, social anxiety, and so on. After graduating from high school, we enter college or the workforce and start to figure out our own lives, depending on what craziness is thrown our way. Every film industry goes through the same journey. Every film industry crawls before it can walk, then it runs, matures, gets into trouble, pushes limits, regresses, and oftentimes breaks through as it matures into a “human being” or some thing that’s alive.

In America, for example, the silent era gave way to the Golden Age of Hollywood in the 1930s and 40s, which was followed by the collapse of the studio system and the rise of New Hollywood in the 1960s and 70s — a period defined by risk-taking, auteur directors, and films that challenged social norms.

In France, the Lumière Brothers essentially invented the form, which eventually gave rise to the French New Wave in the late 1950s. By now, each of these countries and many others have had over a century of progression, regression, and reinvention that has built robust industries, driven massive cultural movements, and transformed the medium itself many times over.

While all these changes have continued to happen, a new question arises:

What happens when a country doesn’t have the same story?

The Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic, part of Hispaniola, an island shared with Haiti, has become a very popular destination for vacationers looking to swim, drink, and dance the night away, either on all-inclusive cruises or at all-inclusive resorts.

Over the past 20-30 years, the Dominican Republic has positioned itself as a major tourist destination and has implemented numerous incentives to attract investment and spur development within the country. One of the major changes that has occurred is the implementation of La Ley Del Cine (The Law of the Cinema). La Ley Del Cine is a piece of legislation passed in 2010 that establishes systems and structures to legitimize filmmaking in a way that had not existed previously.

Yes, 2010.

This is the first year the country has passed a law promoting and incentivizing domestic filmmaking.

To understand why 2010 is not only a crucial moment in the country’s cinema history but why the country took so long to develop the infrastructure needed to promote and support filmmaking, we have to jump back in time, way back to 1923.

Francisco Palau - 1923

Since the 1800s, the country has faced many rebellions and eventually experienced a United States occupation in 1916. The occupation was mainly centered on sugar as an export and was used economically as a tool during World War I. When the war ended, the US remained behind but eventually withdrew in 1924. The Dominican Republic was now tasked with creating its own future.

About a year before Americans’ exit, a filmmaker named Francisco Palau became the first in the Dominican Republic to produce a film. Much like the Lumière brothers are widely considered the creators and fathers of cinema, Francisco Palau is widely recognized as the first-ever Dominican filmmaker. Palau was a journalist, photographer, creative, and writer who experimented. In fact, he directed 3.

La Leyenda de la Altagracia was a 35-minute silent film was the first time the Dominican Republic saw the power of film. This was 1923. This film paved the way for his next film La República Dominicana (1923), which was a realistic look at everyday life among the countries poorest. In 1924 he released a 22 minute film filmed called Las Emboscadas de Cupido about a couple looking to trick the young women’s father into approving the relationship.L. After these films were screened, something incredible happened.

Nothing.

Where many other countries saw the rise and expansion of filmmaking, the Dominican Republic saw the opposite. Filmmaking became a figment of its recent memory as Rafal Turjillo became President, Captain, and Dictator of the Dominican Republic (DR) in August 1930.

The dark year years

What followed were 31 years of darkness for the film industry in the DR. The Dominican Republic didn't have the opportunity to grow, expand, or develop its storytelling, except for the few documentaries that Trujillo approved directly, most of which were made to present him as a ruler and leader. Considering this censorship, and how horrible dissent was; no underground film movement began. The means to obtain equipment or explore this art form were just not there. I imagine this would have been a completely different story if cellphones had been around back then.

Considering that other nations had found a way to build underground cultural movements rivaling political power, it became clear that Trujillo was a force not to be messed with. In 1937, the La Vega massacre showed just how far he was willing to go to shut down opposition and maintain control. In the thirty years that he reigned, the country also saw an influx of nationalities from around the world, including Germans, Japanese, and other European races, as he wished to cleanse the country of its native people, the Tainos and Haitians. If you disagreed with him, well, you'd wish you hadn't, because he took that very seriously. His rule was described as horrendous beyond belief, and some, like Biographer Robert Crassweller called Trujillo “the last of the Caesars.”

My grandmother, now 88 years old, remembers having to hide when he and his military entourage would come to town. It was said that when he traveled the country, he would grab or select beautiful women to bring back to his place. My grandmother's hometown of Moca was not the only place he would visit to showcase his strength and power. All areas of the country were vulnerable. He once visited a town called Ojo de Agua in the Salcedo region of the country, which, coincidentally, was down the road from my grandmother's hometown. What Trujillo would do in that town changed everything. Fortunately for my grandmother, she and my grandfather left Moca for a small town called Constanza, in the mountains, before my grandmother could be selected by El Comandante.

I'd like to point out that, in the early years, Francisco Palau's 3 films and some national newsreels and documentaries about daily life in the Dominican Republic were the only known and recognized films in the country’s history. This means that until Trujillo took office, we only had 3 films and an estimated 4-5 during his reign, mainly praising him for how” great” he was.

What followed next was not only a sad story of power and control but also one that shattered the country into so many pieces that it seems it’s still picking them up today.

In part 2 we’ll learn the story of three sisters whose beauty not only destroyed an authoritarian government but also created a change that has reveberated for decades and might be the very reason cinema exist in the Domincan Republic today.

Friends, thank you for reading. I appreciate you. Please consider subscribing for paid access if you like my work. And please share with someone who will find this interesting.

See you on the next one.

:)

Fast forward fifteen years, and my time to exit finally arrived. Since those first few years in Japan, I have met my wife, have two kids and two dogs, and have a house. When I hung up my uniform in 2024, I told myself I was ready for a life outside it. A life of personal pursuits, and finally some relaxation.

My creative journey, while serving in the military, wasn’t dead, but it wasn’t flourishing either. I decided I would finally pursue my goal of becoming a filmmaker and photographer. That’s how I ended up at American University’s Media Film and Arts program. This graduate program has been, in many ways, a crucial tool in this journey to redefine my life and start a new career.

This photo series is part of that process now.

When I think about the fact that Veterans are at a much higher rate of suicide and face isolation at higher levels than civilian counterparts, I am very much stopped in my tracks. The last thing I’m looking to do is become a statistic, but also do nothing when other veterans need inspiration, or a helping hand, or literally anything to get them back on their feet when the system has beaten them into the ground.

As I redefine my work and build this new career, I’m reminded of The Pursuit of Happiness, a film I love. And yes, I’m aware Will Smith has fallen from grace in many respects, but it’s a damn good movie. In any case, the scene when he lies on the floor with his son in the public bathroom to sleep because they have nowhere else to go is not only one of the most heartbreaking things a father can do, but it also reminded me that as I venture out, I will no doubt have moments when I’ll have to sleep on the floor of a public bathroom. Maybe not publicly, but definitely in the deep recesses of my mind as I reframe, reshape, and explore the new path I’m on.

This photo series is an important part of that story.

I have noticed that filmmaking has its lonely and quiet moments. As I pursue filmmaking and screenwriting, I plan to explore photography. While I have been more into photography for years, particularly while traveling abroad, I’ve never truly sat down to make a concerted effort to create a photo book, develop my skills, and showcase my work.

This year is changing all of that.

This “a photo a day” series will be a work that I’ll use to document my creative process and my specific approach to subject matter in my films.

When I look at photography, I not only see a direct correlation to film but an interwoven story about the images and ideas that inspire our lives.

Throughout this series I will explore mainly three things:

1 - Consistency in craft

2 - Storytelling as king

3 - Competing ideas as composition

Every photo can be found on my notes section of this Substack, and my Instagram. Every so often I will group the photos I’ve posted in an article like this one and discuss, either the inspiration behind the photo, my approach, environmental factors and finally, the lasting impact it has had on me and why I pressed the shutter.

Let’s get into it.

A photo a day: 1/365

Moving to a new place can be exciting, depending on what’s going on in your life. When I left New York, I didn’t realize where I would end up, and honestly, I didn’t think that where I chose to go would even work out at all. The military wasn’t really in my plans but when I suddenly decided to leave (story for another day) I definitely didn’t think Maryland would be in my future.

I took this photo in Southern Maryland. What I’m learning about living here is how quickly you can find stillness when you need it. Growing up in a place like New York gives you tons of excitement but rarely gives you an opportunity for stillness. People spend a lifetime trying to find that stillness and never do. I’m thankful I found mine.

A photo a day: 2/365

“A big house I saw the other day. Pretty clean inside. Must belong to classical modernists.”

I am continuously reminded, every time I go into Washington D.C., that it is one of the most astounding examples of what architecture can do to breathe life into a city. I have been to many countries around the world, including living in Japan for three years, and there is just an incredibly impressive mix of architecture in this city.

Its architecture is a testament to the American experience. In D.C., you’ll find classical, federal, neoclassical, Beaux-Arts, brutalist, and I can go on. At any time of day, observing any structure in the city leaves me with such a sense of place but also wonder. I always loved growing up in New York and admiring its Architecture, but D.C. is so unique; it warrants continuous visits.

A photo a day: 3/365

“Break barriers. Do crazy things. Look back never.”

Becoming a parent is breathtaking. There is no book that can truly prepare you for this. There is also no right time to become one. Once you have a kid and you start to figure things out as a parent, the only thing that can compare is having a second kid.

My daughter, now two years old, is the subject in this photograph.

A photo a day: 4/365

“You wasn’t with me in the gym when I was shooting ball.”

I used to play basketball every day after school. Ball until the street lights came on and many times well into the night. Sometimes we had arguments. They were heated, and they seemed to be all that mattered in life.

“That was a foul!”

“Nah, man! Don’t start again, you didn’t call it!”

When I look at this photograph, I think about the moments when we thought we had it all figured out and when life seemed to entirely rest on that brief moment when everything was falling apart because one of us pushed the other a little too hard.

A photo a day: 5/365

“I got them new AirPods, AirPods Pro, AirMax, and airthis, airthat.”

Bruh. One of the coolest things about growing up in NY is that every day is a lesson. And every day you’re not in NY, you realize just how much schooling you get for free in the city.

This photograph is all about the truest lesson learned on Canal Street—never pay full price.

A photo a day: 6/365

“Every day is a fight to give our children a better world.”

Back to my kids.

This country, in all its faults, has been a great place for me. I wasn’t born here, but I grew up here. I call this place home.

There is no doubt that home can be a rough place sometimes, and we have a lot of work to do, but I’ll be damned if I let the work we have yet to do overshadow the work we have already done.

My kids, when they grow up, I pray, will look back at our moments today in a place like this as a blessing and a gift.

A photo a day: 7/365

“They went out onto the dock. No one ever saw them again.”

This was made with 400 TX film and a Canon AE-1 program. Many photographers will open scanned images in Photoshop and get rid of the small imperfections. I understand why. Every image deserves its own level of attention and care. Every image has its own message to deliver. Sometimes that message is better delivered without small imperfections, but those small imperfections, in the case of this photo, are what tell the story.

I love North Beach, Maryland, for its vibrant community and its colorful aesthetic. This photograph delivers a much different story. A story that is darker in nature, with a more ominous subject matter. The power of photography is that the most vibrant and colorful places can be used to tell a completely different story. Part of that storytelling is letting the impression build the atmosphere and the world around the image even if it is different from reality. It then begs the question—what is reality, anyway?

That’s 1-7 down!

By now I'm on image 40-something. If you want to see what they are, subscribe and follow here on the subject or head over to my Instagram.

On to writing about images 8-15.

See you soon.

:)

I call this place home only because my mother and father came here to give me a better life. Our story has many ups and downs, like any immigrant story you have probably heard of. When my mother and father came to this country, they left me back in our motherland, the Dominican Republic. It would be years before I would see them again.

Eventually, “they sent for me.”

When I arrived in the United States, I was about 6 years old, clueless, not a lick of English, lost in every possible way a child arriving in a new country could be. My parents had gotten divorced, so when I arrived here, I actually met my mother and her fiancé, a Puerto Rican man she met at a nightclub in Queens after divorcing my biological father. This Puerto Rican man, from Williamsburg, Brooklyn, would eventually become my father.

At the age of 16, I became a citizen.

My Puerto Rican father did everything possible for me to become a member of our great nation. A few short years after becoming a citizen, I would find myself in a van traveling from Long Island to Brooklyn for the Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) physical exam. I decided to sign on the dotted line and serve my country.

Fifteen years went by, and in 2024 I hung up the uniform for the last time.

Fifteen years of service, 21 years of being a citizen, 31 years of living here, 37 years of life. That is a lot of change.

When I look at these chapters of my life, I cannot help but feel, intensely, the weight of change and movement. This nation, with its faults, has not only been the most amazing opportunity I have ever had, but it has also proven to be a place that, contrary to popular belief, an immigrant like me can build a life, start a family, and have a lot of damn fun doing it.

Two hundred and fifty years is also filled with many chapters that carry change and movement for us as a people, and we are traveling in so many directions that it’s often difficult to remember the journey we’re on is never over. Only progressing, only transforming, and only alive because we take pride in it.

Happy Birthday America!

Thank you for everything!

-Ivan

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