Mayagüez unveils a museum for the Puerto Rico Film Festival as the 17th edition opens with Costa Rica as guest country

The Puerto Rico Film Festival cut the ribbon on a museum dedicated to its seventeen years of history on August 14 in Mayagüez, five days before the 2026 edition of the festival opens, running August 19-23 in the western city ¹. The announcement took place with Mayor Jorge Ramos Ruiz and University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez Rector Miguel A. Muñoz in attendance, at an event festival founder and director Lester Rivé Padilla described as a tribute to an event that for seventeen years has contributed to the development and promotion of film in Puerto Rico ¹².

The festival was born in 2009 as a nonprofit and has grown into an educational exchange hub for university students, schools and families, with Mayagüez as its official headquarters ². Seventeen years ago we started this project with a very clear purpose, Rivé Padilla said: to create a space where Puerto Rican cinema could grow, be shown and connect with new audiences ².

The numbers and names behind the 17th edition

Costa Rica was named this edition's guest country of honor, represented by film commissioner Marysela Zamora ²⁴. The international lineup includes directors from film festivals in at least five countries: Claudia Pino, of the Lebú International Film Festival (Chile); Elis Jiménez, of the ÍCARO Festival (Guatemala); Cat Caballero, of the Panama International Film Festival; and representatives of Histeria: International Fantastic Film Festival and the Ensenada International Film Festival in Mexico ².

Actor and producer Esaí Morales arrives as a special guest for a conversation and a recognition during the festival ¹². This year's Trayectoria (Career Achievement) Award goes to three figures: actress Marian Pabón, actor José Félix Gómez, and director, screenwriter and visual activist Diego de la Texera ².

The film opening the 2026 edition is Summer of Three, directed and written by Carlitos Ruíz-Ruíz alongside Marcel Ruiz and Mariana S. Belaval, screening Wednesday, August 19 at 7:00 p.m. at Teatro Yagüez ³. The cast includes Marcel Ruiz as Javi, Paolo Schoene as Luife and Kiki Montilla as Kiki, with cinematography by Pablo Ascanio ³. The festival closes with Milly, La Reina del Merengue ¹. Programming spans more than a dozen categories, including best screenplay, best direction, best animation, best documentary and best music video, across both national and international selections, plus industry spaces like the Production Encounter, Industry Day and a pitching process for Puerto Rican filmmakers ².

The festival is backed by the Puerto Rico Tourism Company, the Puerto Rico Film Commission, Cervecería de Puerto Rico, the Municipality of Mayagüez, Atlantic University College and the University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez, among other sponsors ².

What it means for you

If you love Puerto Rican cinema, or just want an excuse to head west this month, the 17th edition of the Puerto Rico Film Festival offers five days of screenings, talks and free or low-cost activities in downtown Mayagüez. With the new museum, the festival now also functions as a year-round space to explore the history of local film without waiting for August. For emerging filmmakers, the pitching sessions and Industry Day are a concrete way to connect with producers from Costa Rica, Chile, Guatemala, Panama and Mexico without leaving the island.

How to do it / Checklist

1. Save the date: the festival runs Wednesday, August 19 through Sunday, August 23, 2026 in Mayagüez.
2. Buy or reserve tickets at buytickets.at/prff or check the full schedule at prff2026.eventive.org.
3. Arrive early Wednesday the 19th at 7:00 p.m. at Teatro Yagüez for the Summer of Three opening screening.
4. Visit the festival's new museum in Mayagüez to see material from the previous seventeen editions.
5. If you're a filmmaker, check the pitching processes and Production Encounter at prfilmfest.com before industry slots close.
6. Follow the festival's social media for specific category screening schedules.

What's next

The closing screening of Milly, La Reina del Merengue on Sunday, August 23 will mark the end of the 17th edition, but the festival has already said the museum will stay open in Mayagüez as a year-round educational space, not just during festival week. The partnership with Costa Rica as guest country also opens the door to future co-productions between Puerto Rican and Central American filmmakers, something the festival's team has flagged as a priority heading into upcoming editions.