Sonia Fritz— Mexican film director based in San Juan, Puerto Rico— has directed her first film for children, Las estrellas del Estuario [The Stars of the Estuary].

The film, written by José Ignacio Valenzuela and produced by Isla Films, resulted from a call by the Estuary of the San Juan Bay program, to produce a variety of works to raise consciousness about the ecosystem of the region. It premiered in April 2009 at the Festival of Latino Cinema in Chicago and, since then, has been screened in several international venues. It is one of the films chosen to tour the United States in the Kids First! Film Festival. The film has also been included in the Festival de Cine Infantil Divercine 2009 [Divercine 2009, Festival of Children’s Cinema] to be presented in different Latin American countries and it was recently the opening film screened at the 4^th International Festival of Children’s Cinema in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

Set in San Juan, Las estrellas del Estuario follows the story of four children who find a map and embark on an adventure through which they explore different areas of the San Juan Estuary, such as San Juan Bay, the lagoons of San José, Piñones, and Condado, and other areas. The film is successful in showing, in an entertaining way, why it is important to protect nature and the delicate balance of the vital ecosystems around us.

With over thirty years of experience as a director, writer, and producer, Fritz has directed Luisa Capetillo: Pasión de justicia (1995), El beso que me diste (2000), Una historia común (2004), and Las caras lindas de Tite Curet Alonso (2004), among others.

For full article (in Spanish), see http://www.elnuevodia.com/naturalezaboricuaparaelmundo -597139.html