Members of Chicago’s Puerto Rican community recently took park in a special screening of a new short film based on the life of Pedro Albizu Campos.  

In a collaboration with the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture, the short film “Mataron A Pedro” was shown at CineCity Studios in Chicago last week. The film follows a brief period in the life of the historic activist and leader in the labor and Puerto Rican independence movements.  

Starring Ismael Cruz Córdova as the titular Don Pedro and Juana Burga as his wife Laura Meneses del Carpio, the film contrasts Campos’ personal life at home with his work in various movements in Puerto Rico.  

While only 15 minutes in length, the short film brings Puerto Rican history to the big screen shinning a light on the often-untold history of Campos, who was the first Puerto Rican to ever graduate from Harvard University and a staunch critic of the colonial relationship between the archipelago and the United States.   

The film depicts iconic yet concise scenes from his life including a march he led in Viejo San Juan where he fought for an independent Puerto Rico.  

It does not shy away from the brutality that Campos endured while imprisoned after the 1950 rally, depicting radiation experiments conducted on him causing burns across his body.  

While just a drop in the deep, rich history of this beloved and sometimes controversial figure, the crew hopes this could lead to something bigger.   

Cruz Córdova, who played Campus, says much of the film remains relevant today due, in large part due to Puerto Rico’s position as a modern colony of the United States.  

“I want them to direct them to curiosity, you know, because we cannot, like, go over everything in 16 minutes, but at least to start that curiosity for people to understand the greatness of who we are, and the equally great, immense sacrifice that Pedro, but a lot before him, a lot with him, and a lot after him, are still willing to take,” he said. 

Cruz Córdova adds in Spanish, “la lucha continua,” which means the fight continues.  

An audience gathers for a screening of the short film “Mataron A Pedro” in Chicago. (Carmona Rivera / National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture)

When the credits rolled, the room filled with the sound of applause, receiving a standing ovation.  

Veronica Ocasio, the museum’s director of education and programming, says events like these are a necessary step in building infrastructure for Puerto Ricans to create and showcase their own stories.  

“They’re looking for the resources, they’re looking for the support, and if the Puerto Rican community doesn’t do it themselves, who else is going to do it?” she asks. “We have to lead by example.”  

Coinciding with the release of this film was the unveiling of a statue of Pedro Albizu Campos in Humboldt Park, something that Ocasio believes makes the film even more relevant for Chicago’s Puerto Rican community who, she says, has been working for 30 years to get the statue in the park.    

 WTTW News arts coverage is supported by the JCS Arts, Health & Education Fund of the DuPage Foundation.