GFDD Celebrates Dominican Culture and Heritage with a Special Screening of “Hay un país en el mundo” in Washington, DC

Starting the celebrations of the Hispanic Heritage Month in the United States, Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD), together with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the Embassy of the Dominican Republic to the United States, the Dominican Ministry of Culture, and the Banco BHD León, screened the Dominican documentary “Hay un país en el mundo” (There’s a country in the world) on September 12, 2018.

The
film, directed by José (Pinky) Pintor, is a walk through the natural landscape of the Dominican Republic, describing the country’s historic, cultural and social values as explained by experts in specific areas of interest. The documentary’s musical score is a production that features distinguished Dominican artists.

With dozens of attendees, the event was held at the Enrique V. Iglesias auditorium of the IDB and started with the welcoming remarks by Mr. José Tomás Pérez, Dominican Ambassador to the United States, and Natasha Despotovic, Executive Director of GFDD, moderated by Maria Victoria Abreu, GFDD’s International Affairs and Socioeconomic Program Manager.

Following the introductory comments, Carlos Pared Vidal, Executive Director for Dominican Republic to the IDB, had an interesting conversation with Josefina Navarro, Vicepresident of Corporate Communication and Social Responsibility of Banco BHD León, stressing the role of the private sector in promoting cultural identity and development, and in supporting country-brand initiatives that enhance the Dominican society and its diaspora’s pride of the home country.
“Our role is so much more than providing financial resources; being part of the orange economy, our role is to mobilize the local dynamics and create jobs while supporting a growing industry”, noted Navarro.

After the screening, Navarro received from GFDD’s Executive Director a copy of “All Things Dominican”, and participants enjoyed a Dominican rum tasting and shared their impressions of the documentary among themselves.

The
screening was also part of the official program of the IDB’s Central Film Fest: Central America + Dominican Republic, an initiative to promote and make visible the talent and potential of the cinematoprahy industry of the region, being held between September 6 and October 11 in partnership with the 2018 AFI Latinamerican Film Festival. This year’s program includes films from Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama and Dominican Republic.