10 Best Movies from Dominican Republic to Watch First

10 Essential Films from Dominican Republic

Ranked native cinema in Dominican Republic’s own creative voice.

1. 

   1. At the End of the Duty

   Al Fin y al Cabo · 2008

   Two FBI agents arrive in the Dominican Republic hunting a drug lord known as El Duque, aided by a local cop and a petty thief. A brisk crime action-comedy.

2. 

   2. Sanky Panky

   2007

   A poor young man working in a family shop and studying scraps of English dreams of becoming a beach gigolo who can charm an American tourist into marriage and a ticket abroad. A raucous Dominican comedy.

3. 

   3. Perico ripiao

   2003

   Three escaped convicts armed only with a güiro, a drum, and an accordion pose as a merengue band as they flee across the Dominican countryside, meeting an array of colorful characters. A rollicking road comedy.

4. 

   4. Secret Service Christian

   Cristiano de la Secreta · 2009

   A devout Christian man seeking a change from his ordered life stumbles into a string of unexpected escapades. A Dominican comedy.

5. 

   5. Balaguer: La herencia del tirano

   1998

   This documentary chronicles the political turmoil in the Dominican Republic following the 1961 assassination of dictator Rafael Trujillo, through the fraught rise of Joaquín Balaguer and the brief presidency of Juan Bosch. A detailed historical account.

6. 

   6. Captain Avispa

   Capitán Avispa · 2024

   In the bustling metropolis of Avispatropolis, a fearless bee-hero whose power flows from absolute honesty defends the city against the forces of evil. A colorful animated superhero adventure.

7. 

   7. Lotoman

   2011

   Two very different brothers see their lives turned upside down when they win the lottery, unleashing a flood of comic complications. A hugely popular Dominican comedy.

8. 

   8. Feo de día, lindo de noche

   2012

   A homely man is granted a strange enchantment that makes him irresistibly handsome — but only between 8 p.m. and midnight — leading to a whirl of romantic mix-ups. A Dominican fantasy comedy.

9. 

   9. Sand Dollars

   Dólares de arena · 2014

   On the beaches of Las Terrenas, a young Dominican woman who makes her living charming tourists carries on a complicated relationship with an older European woman, torn between affection, money, and freedom. A tender, understated drama.

10. 

    10. Woodpeckers

    Carpinteros · 2017

    Inside a crowded Dominican prison, a new inmate falls for a woman held in the adjacent women's wing, and the two carry on a secret romance through the sign language prisoners use to communicate across the yard. A gritty, sensual love story.

    Why & details

    Curator’s note: Julián finds love and a reason for living in the last place imaginable: the Dominican Republic's Najayo Prison. His romance, with fellow prisoner Yanelly, must develop through sign language and without the knowledge of dozens of guards.