René Fortunato

Birth : 1958-02-01, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

History

René Antonio Fortunato is a Dominican film director, screenwriter, and producer. Fortunato is best known for his historical documentaries on Dominican government and politics. He began his career as a producer in 1985 with the production of In the Footsteps of Palau (Tras las huellas de Palau). Later in 1988, he gained national and international acclaim with the success of his third documentary April, the Trench of Honor (Abril: La Trinchera del Honor). Fortunato was awarded the Pitirre Prize for Best Caribbean Documentary in the 1990 San Juan Film Festival. René Fortunato was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He studied Social Communication at the University of Santo Domingo from 1982 until 1985. Simultaneously, he worked for several Santo Domingo television firms and stations in different aspects of television and film production. From 1978 to 1987, he published numerous articles about film and television in Dominican newspapers and cultural supplements. Fortunato's first film In the Footsteps of Palau, was a 20-minute short that told the history of the first Dominican filmmaker Francisco Palau. Palau was active in the 1920s and was a seminal figure of Dominican filmography. His second film Frank Almánzar: Images of an artist, was debuted in 1987 and was about the Dominican visionary Bauhaus-trained engraver, illustrator and cultural animator Frank Almánzar. Then in 1988 he achieved national and international fame due to the success of his full-length documentary April, the Trench of Honor. The documentary won Best Documentary of the Caribbean region, in the II International San Juan Film Festival. The documentary is an account of the political situation in the Dominican Republic from the death of dictator Rafael Trujillo in 1961, to the election of Joaquín Balaguer in 1966. Particular focus goes into the 1965 civil war and the subsequent U.S. military invasion. After the success of his documentary, Fortunato went on to make documentaries about Trujillo, Balaguer, and Juan Bosch, which bridge Dominican history and politics from the 1940s to the 1990s.

Movies

Caamaño: Militar a Guerrillero
Caamaño: Militar a Guerrillero
Writer
Caamaño: Militar a Guerrillero
Caamaño: Militar a Guerrillero
Director
Patricia: el regreso del sueño
Patricia: el regreso del sueño
Director
Juan Carlos returns to the Dominican Republic to reunite with his longtime fiancee, only to find her already married and pregnant. Sunk into despair and with nothing to do, he meets Patricia, who will change his life.
Patricia: el regreso del sueño
Patricia: el regreso del sueño
Writer
Juan Carlos returns to the Dominican Republic to reunite with his longtime fiancee, only to find her already married and pregnant. Sunk into despair and with nothing to do, he meets Patricia, who will change his life.
Bosch: Presidente en la frontera imperial
Bosch: Presidente en la frontera imperial
Director
The documentary presents the most important political and social events that occurred during the administration of the constitutional government with popular backing, headed by Juan Bosch, in the Dominican Republic, during the first seven months of the year 1963. The military coup d´etat that overthrew the Bosch government, the foreign policy of United States President John Kennedy, and relationship of the United States with members of the military who overthrew regimes throughout Latin America, are subjects that occupy a large part of this documentary, made entirely with original images and sounds from that era.
Balaguer: La violencia del poder
Balaguer: La violencia del poder
Director
Highlights the most important political and social events in the Dominican Republic during the period from the first of July 1966, the date of the inauguration of Dr. Balaguer as Constitutional President of the Republic, up to August 16, 1974, the day he was sworn in for a third term. Using narrative images and sounds of the era, the documentary highlights the climate of disrespect for the most basic human rights that prevailed during the administrations of Dr. Balaguer, and the violent repression that this President used to unleash against their opponents.
Balaguer: La herencia del tirano
Balaguer: La herencia del tirano
Director
The documentary describes the events that occurred since the death of Rafael Leónidas Trujillo in 1961, until the inauguration of Juan Bosch y Gaviño as president of the Dominican Republic on February 27, 1963. It also narrates the violence which distinguished the presidency of Balaguer and his efforts to remain in power.
Trujillo: El poder del jefe III
Trujillo: El poder del jefe III
Director
The third and last documentary part of the series of that began in 1991 with the "The Power of Generalissimo", first part. Here are the happened most important events in the Dominican Republic in the period between the 16 of August of 1952, date of the arrival to the of Negro Trujillo like President of the Republic, and the 8 of November of 1961, day of the exit of the country of Ranfis Trujillo and their family. Between the events treated in this part they stand out the trip from Trujillo to Spain, the Fair of La Paz, the kidnapping of Galíndez, the invasion of the 14 of June, the death of the sisters Mirabal, the execution of the dictator, and the death in which they participated in the plot against Trujillo, among other subjects. René Fortunato concludes therefore an historical revision that would be added to many others of equal magnitude in the literary order, but that in the audio-visual area has become the document more taken advantage of in terms its educative value.
Trujillo: El poder del jefe II
Trujillo: El poder del jefe II
Director
The political and social events in the Dominican Republic are happened more important during period 1938-1952. The actions of the Trujillo's dictatorship during the Forties and the efforts of the refugees ones to overthrow it, are dialed with with details in this second documentary part of the series about "The Power of Generalissimo" . The invasions of Cayo Confite and Luperón, Juventud Democrática and the different conspiracies, as well as the relations of Trujillo with the United States before the beginning of the "Cold War", occupy a good part of this documentary one. In this occasion there are more approximate advantage to the rigor of the documentary one notices, through its voice over and other lines.
Trujillo: El poder del jefe I
Trujillo: El poder del jefe I
Director
The documentary one shows the political, economic and social conditions that determined the sprouting of the dictatorship of Trujillo in the Dominican Republic. It offers in addition, a stirring vision of more than twenty years of Dominican history, 1916 to 1937, using for such aim, films of the time, pictures, documents, near recordings of speeches of Trujillo and their collaborators, as well as other audio-visual resources of spectacular character. This documentary one, with some deficiencies in its dramatic art, obtains of all ways a conviction on the information handled in its work, saving the audio-visual distances between the historical speech and revelations.
Abril: La Trinchera del Honor
Abril: La Trinchera del Honor
Director
An account of the major political events that took place in Santo Domingo from the government of Juan Bosch in 1963, until the rise to power of Dr. Joaquin Balaguer in 1966. The military outbreak in April 1965 and the subsequent U.S. invasion are treated in detail.
Frank Almánzar: Imágenes de un artista
Frank Almánzar: Imágenes de un artista
Director
Explores the life and work of Frank Almánzar, a visionary Bauhaus-trained engraver, illustrator, and cultural animator who left an indelible mark in the cultural life of the country.
Tras las huellas de Palau
Tras las huellas de Palau
Director
Explores the life and work of Francisco A. Palau, believed to have been the first Dominican filmmaker.