Arleen Cruz-Alicea is a Puerto Rican film director, producer, national cinema activist, and mother. Among her credits are the direction of “CUENTAS PENDIENTES,” “ANATOMÍA DE LAS CANAS,” and “HISTÉRICAS,” as well as producing “PERFUME DE GARDENIAS,” a narrative film that premiered at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival.

As a cinema advocate, she seeks to create initiatives that support our national film production, especially for women in the industry. “MUJERES DEL CINE BORICUA” is a podcast in development that portrays the women of our cinematic history. She is the Executive Director of “RUTA CRÍTICA,” a film project incubator that aims to empower Puerto Rican production companies for the viability of their projects. She was president of AdocPR (Puerto Rico Documentary Association), coordinated its educational and lobbying initiatives, and produced the first edition of AdocPR Lab in 2019. She has served as a jury member for multiple national and international film festivals and initiatives. She has participated in panels and forums related to film production and is part of the Advisory Board of the Puerto Rico Film Festival.

Her short documentary “COMIDA PA’ LOS POBRES” is part of the HINDSIGHT PROJECT, a collaboration between Firelight Media, Reel South, and CAAM, which will premiere at AFI DOCS. She is currently working on the post-production of her short documentary “CACEROLA GIRL” and writing her next feature-length documentary, “AIDA & JOSSIE.”

As a producer, she has several projects in development, including the documentary “SYLVIA REXACH, POR SIEMPRE” by Ivonne Belén, and the animated feature film “LOA: KILL YOUR MASTERS” by Carlos Zerpa, which participated in Locarno’s 2023 Open Doors and the Nouveau Marché at the Festival du Nouveau Cinéma in Montreal, and in post production, the fiction feature film “LA GRAN DESILUSIÓN” by Kisha Tikina Burgos.