[2] In the late 1930s Rafael Cobián produced films starring Blanca de Castejón such as Mis dos amores and Los hijos mandan at Hollywood.

[6] In 1899, Sigmund Lubin filmed a nationalistic recreation of the Puerto Rican Campaign titled Capture of Porto Rico as part of a series on the war, of which no copies are known to survive[7] The first showings depended on early technology like the Lumiere and Pathé projectors and were temporary in nature, touring the island and leaving to other markets.

[12] Francisco Maymón made the second attempt, beginning a film based on the legends surrounding pirate captain Roberto Cofresí, but complications prevented the culmination of the project.

[22] In 1917, the Tropical Film Company was created, featuring people such as Luis Llorens Torres, Nemesio Canales and director Ernesto López, it acquired the equipment from its predecessor and incorporated Colorado.

[23] Llorens Torres directed Paloma del Monte with Gabriel Tejel as lead actor, with a number of jíbaros and two Italian performers of the Zorda family in support.

During the filming of El tesoro de Cofresí Aquiles Zorda, the patriarch of the family, returned to Italy for personal reasons and the project was cancelled.

[28] Afterwards, Viguié joined the nascent Puerto Rico Photoplay, filming for the American public projects such as The Woman that Fool Herself (May Allison, Robert Ellis, Frank Currie) and El hijo del desierto.

[29] This era was a difficult one to produce in Puerto Rico, due to its political status, the poverty that it brought and a skeptical approach from the local higher classes, securing capital proved a challenge to the nascent industry.

[31] Based in Hato Rey, Porto Rico Photoplays was born of a joint investment by Puerto Rican investors led by Enrique and Eduardo González and George McManus.

It was through Tropical Film Company that the first discourses of educational, cultural, and economic aims were made within the limitations of financial and infrastructural resources that existed then, and still persist, for locally grounded cinematic production, distribution and exhibition in Puerto Rico.

At a budget of $10,000, it was a hit at San Juan, but Viguié sold the rights after the father of the Canino sisters demanded more money, leaving the full-length film business after paying an investor.

Local personalities continued being cast in foreign films, such as Ramón Rivero Diplo and Myrta Silva inUna Gallega en la Habana.

Tirado would direct El Santero (in collaboration with Ángel Rivera) and Cuando los padres olvidan (his first in 35 mm), with the second being shown in three European film festivals.

[53] For his filming of 1953's Escombros and 1957's Tres vidas en el recuerdo, New York-based Rolando Barreras organized a heavily Puerto Rican cast, with the second completely depending on local talent.

[46] The following year, the company produced Maruja starring Mario Pabón and Marta Romero among other native talents, which was exhibited at the Río Hondo Film Festival.

During the 1960s, several short films were produced in Puerto Rico including Efraín López Neris's El Corral (1963), Amílcar Tirado's Zapatos nuevos (1963), Ramón Barco's Angela (1966) and Maggie Bob's Laguna Soltero (1967).

After his political comedy El gallo pelón was met with controversy, he incursioned into mainstream cinema, eventually returning with La noche de Don Manuel (1965).

[70] DIVEDCO would experience a sharp decline, with Tirado as its main director and Ricardo Alegría's script of La buena herencia (1967) being among the last before it systematically disappeared following the change in administration that took place the following year.

[72] Founded in 1968, Cine Pueblo began filming projects of social interest, including Los barrios se oponen an environmentalist piece about mining in Puerto Rico.

Spain was a frequent collaborator leading to the production of Sebastián Almeida's Vacio en el alma, Federico Curiel's Juicio a un ángel, José Díaz Morales' Los que nunca amaron (1965) and Miguel Marayta's Joselito vagabundo puertorriqueño.

[78] Sandino also participated in the production of Roberto Ponce's A Step Away (1980) and a two episodes for Realidades named GI José II (military) and Ochú (about the Caribbean religion of santería).

[80] In 1974, Creative Films joined forces with Mexican Cineproducciones Internacionales to produce El hijo de Angela María and placed Fernando Cortés as director.

[81] The media presence of criminal Antonio García López (also known as Toño Bicicleta) led to competition between producers to secure rights and a number of low-budget films that received only limited release.

[82] The incapacity of the Puerto Rico Police to capture the fugitive also had impact abroad, where two films began production by César Córdoba (in Guatemala) and Anthony Felton (in the Dominican Republic), of which only the second's Toño Bicicleta was completed.

[82] Dominicans Glaucoma del Mar and Víctor Hugo López produced La leyenda de Toño Bicicleta starring Colón Riozama and Alida Arizmendi among others.

[76] The early to mid-1990s had Paramount Pictures' A Show of Force, whose cast included Amy Irving, Robert Duvall, Andy García, and Kevin Spacey; La Guagua Aérea, the aforementioned Linda Sara, and El Poder del Shakti as theatrical releases on the island.

During the silent film era, Puerto Ricans and Latin American actors gained success, with Fernando Cortés, Armando Calvo, Blanca de Castejón and Alberto Morin performing at Europe and South America.

[90] In 1938, a co-production between local and Mexican interests lead to Mis Dos Amores, featuring Blanca de Castejón and Evelyn Del Río among others.

[2] As part of an agreement with 20th Century Fox, Rafael Ramos Cobián also produced Los Hijos Mandan directed by Gabriel Soria and featuring Fernando and Julián Soler, Castejón and Arturo de Córdova.

[89] After founding Puerto Rico Films in 1952 without much support, Juano Hernández would make another attempt to expand the industry during the final stages of his life, assigning terrains in Trujillo Alto to the future construction of studios.