As a Puerto Rican filmmaker living in New York, Victoria is my most personal film yet, a story rooted in the dual experience of displacement and belonging experienced by many in the diaspora.

The story plays out across two spheres: New York City, driven by ambition and reinvention, and Puerto Rico, a home that feels both familiar and foreign after years of exile.

Victoria is ultimately a story of reconciling fractured identities, both familial and personal. It explores the tension between past and present, between cultural heritage and self-invention, and the bittersweet grief that comes with returning to a place that no longer fits the memory of home.

What drew me to Victoria’s journey is its raw emotional truth. Her return after years of estrangement reflects a universal human experience: the longing for belonging, the pain of unresolved relationships, and the courage it takes to confront our roots.

Like Victoria, I have navigated two worlds: one fueled by creative aspirations, the other by cultural and familial obligations.

Puerto Rico is not just a setting; it is a character. Its mountains and ocean mirror Victoria’s struggles. The land’s beauty is haunted by history and resilience. Dream sequences and symbolism explore the tension between what’s lost and what remains, between memories we keep and those that fade.

Growing up on the island feels like a fading dream, each year making it harder to return. Yet every visit reminds me of the strength and endurance of Puerto Rican women, women whose faces fill the news, whose stories demand to be told.

These women inspired Victoria. Her journey is not just her own; it echoes the stories of so many, those forced to leave, those who stayed behind, and those caught in between.

Writing Victoria became creation, healing, and discovery, a tapestry of family, homeland, and lived realities. Art became my lifeline, a sanctuary where pain became voice and hope took shape.

Victoria connects across cultures and generations. It speaks to the Puerto Rican diaspora, the Latinx community, and anyone struggling with identity and legacy, while delving into exile, colonialism, and cultural disconnection.

My goal is to tell a story that pays tribute to the authenticity and complexity of all those who, for one reason or another, have to leave home. Victoria is about redefining what home means, finding belonging amid fractured selves, and embracing our resilient beauty. Through her journey, I illuminate the shared suffering and hope of the Puerto Rican diaspora.

Ultimately, Victoria is as much my story as it is hers. Through art, struggle finds meaning and pain finds beauty. Sharing this story is my way to connect, heal, and affirm the enduring spirit within all who seek to belong.