Rene Fortunato
in the Dominican cinema
Records not beaten yet
1. The most crowded and successful premiere exhibition of a Dominican
cinematographic production was the feature film premiere “The Violence
of the Power” at the National Theater on May 5th, 2003, where the
attending audience paid RD$500 pesos for a ticket.
This record has not been beaten yet, neither by a national nor by a foreign
production.
The Dominican movies’ premiere exhibitions have been mostly made
in La Fiesta Theater, at the Jaragua Hotel, and in various theaters of
the Malecon Center Cinema.
The capacity of La Fiesta Theater, when completely full, is of 1,100 people.
The capacity of the Malecon Center theaters all together is of 1,235 people.
The capacity of the National Theater is of 1,500 people. The night of
The Violence of the Power premiere it was completely full, while people
were still waiting on the outside. The deed was repeated, filling La Fiesta
Theater of the Jaragua Hotel two more times.
2. A pioneer in the use of video technology, as technological support
of the national cinema. In 1988 produced the feature film “April,
the Trench of Honor” in video and premiered it in five movie theaters,
becoming the first feature film documentary ever made in the country.
The same year he publishes, in the national press, the article: “Video,
the Choice of the National Cinema” (La Noticia, September 10, 1988
- “Aquí” Suplement), where he establishes the reasons
why video should be used as a resource for the national cinema. Today,
every movie has had to use video technology as a part of the making process.
3. The most awarded cinematographic production after “Un pasaje
de ida” (One Way Ticket), is “April, The Trench of Honor.”
It has been awarded with the following prizes: *Pitirre Award to the Best
Documentary in the Caribbean Region, at the San Juan Movie Festival, Puerto
Rico-1990-. *First Finalist at the International Festival of the New Latin
American Cinema, Habana, Cuba-1988 (El Nacional newspaper, January 1,
1989 –Galería Suplement-)
* Special Prize of the Jury at the “Contra el Silencia Todas las
Voces” festival, México, D.F.-2000, among others.
4. The biggest screen ever used for the projection of a cinematographic
production in the country, was used by Rene Fortunato at the National
Theater for the premiere of “The Violence of the Power” documentary,
on May 2003, and during the premiere exhibition of the feature film “
The Legacy of the Tyrant”, in 1998. Screen size: 25 by 45 feet.
5. Until year 1995, the assistance record to movie theaters to watch a
Dominican cinematographic production, was held by “April, the Trench
of Honor”. The premiere of “Nueva Yol”, in 1995, by
Angel Muñiz, broke that record and established a new one that has
not been beaten yet.
6. During an unprecedented event in our country, nearly ten thousand people
assisted to la Puerta del Conde, where, with streets blocked, the new
version of the documentary “April, the Trench of Honor”, was
presented on two giant screens the 24th of April of 2005, during the 45th
anniversary of the 1965 April war.
Hoy Newspaper, April 26, 2005-
7. His documentaries hold sales records in both VHS and DVD formats, due
to an efficient promotional and distribution system. Because of the versatility
of these formats, his productions have reached the most distant corners
of the world, which has contributed to the fact that Rene Fortunato is
the most renown and acknowledged Dominican filmmaker.
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