Dominican Film Agency Funds 11 Projects in Major Competition

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic – The General Directorate of Cinema (DGCINE) has named 11 projects as winners of its 14th Public Competition for the Promotion of Cinematographic Production (FONPROCINE), reinforcing its commitment to the nation's film industry.

The 2025 edition of the competition introduces significant innovations and results that highlight the evolution and impact of DGCINE's programs.

For the first time, the competition awarded six special mentions to projects that, while not securing the main fund, achieved the second-highest scores in their respective categories. These projects will receive personalized mentorship to strengthen their proposals and gain future opportunities in upcoming calls, fostering excellence.

In a move to acknowledge the sustained growth of the creative industry, the prize money for the Short Animation Film Production category increased to RD 1,000,000.00.

The impact of the 2025 FONPROCINE Residency was evident among the winners. The project “Brujas de la Isla,” directed by Crisfel Jiménez and produced by Yatnna Montilla, secured a win in the Project Development category. Additionally, “Llamará,” directed by Vicky Apolinario and produced by Lei González, earned a Special Mention for Feature Film Production, showcasing the potential of filmmakers participating in the mentorship program.

Now in its second year, the minority co-production support category attracted six submissions, featuring collaborations with countries like Spain, Chile, Uruguay, Honduras, Peru, and Brazil. This demonstrates FONPROCINE’s role in promoting the internationalization of Dominican film production.

The competition received a record 62 proposals, with 55 admitted after meeting the established criteria. This sustained increase in participation underscores the growing interest and dynamism within the Dominican audiovisual sector. Notably, 80% of this edition's winning projects were first-time submissions or debut works, confirming the accessibility of the application platform and FONPROCINE's expansion of opportunities for emerging filmmakers.

The 2025 FONPROCINE winners span several categories:

• Project Development: Six projects — “Un Funeral para Lola” (Iván de Lara), “Dos Veranos” (Ayerim Villanueva), “El último relato de Micky Bretón” (Isabella Bretón), “Bulla” (Roger Wasserman), “Brujas de la Isla” (Crisfel Jiménez), and “Bendición Ma” (Josías Francisco Domínguez) — each received RD 750,000.00.
• Short Film Production: “El Suceso” (Fernando Rivas) was awarded RD 600,000.00.
• Animation Short Film Production: “Rosie y Ventra: Guardianes del Don” (Juan Carlos Nuñez / Ydania Ogando) secured RD 1,000,000.00.
• Fiction and/or Animation Feature Film Production: “El Amor en los Tiempos de Bacanería” (Patricia Pepen) received RD 7,000,000.00.
• Minority Co-production Support: “Beba” (Natalia Cabral, with Spanish co-producers) was granted RD 3,500,000.00.
• Documentary Post-production: “Tres Balas” (Génesis Valenzuela) earned the use of Pulpo Post's post-production studio or services.

Six special mentions were also awarded across various categories, including for “P.G. Dios” (Maurice Sánchez) in Project Development, “Lo que se tragó la Tierra” (Santiago García Cruz) in Short Film Production, and “Llamará” (Victoria Apolinario) in Feature Film Production.

FONPROCINE (Fondo para la Promoción Cinematográfica) serves as a key resource for fostering and stimulating the production of Dominican cinematic works. It also aims to promote and disseminate national and international cinematography through related activities. Its core objective is to provide financial support for new film creations and offer opportunities for emerging talents to develop their projects.

DGCINE reaffirmed its dedication to promoting talent and innovation in the audiovisual field, expressing anticipation for projects from future calls.