DESALAMBRANDO: THE DOCUMENTARY

Desalambrando examines the history of Puerto Rico’s squatter movement, also known as rescates de terrenos and its current relevance in a post-Hurricane Maria Puerto Rico. Roughly translated as “land rescue”, the movement rose to prominence during the late 1960s when the urban poor population, faced with housing shortages and government neglect, began occupying deserted land – “rescuing” the space by building houses and starting communities there. When faced against government crackdown, participants of the movement employed a diversity of tactics such as pickets, mass mobilizations and civil disobedience. Their struggle would evolve into a political and social movement that not only challenged the notion of private property, but also provided the framework for struggling communities in Puerto Rico to mobilize and become political actors.

Director Pedro Ángel Rivera Muñoz interweaves archival photos and interviews with land rescuers, presenting an oral history for a watershed moment in Puerto Rico’s political history. Desalambrando is a passionate testimony of the resilience, creativity, and organizational abilities of Puerto Ricans.

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