Agliberto Meléndez
Agliberto Meléndez | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 8, 1942 Altamira, Dominican Republic |
| Died | July 2, 2025 (aged 82) |
| Occupation(s) | Film director, producer, screenwriter |
Agliberto Meléndez (August 8, 1942 – July 2, 2025) was a Dominican film director best known as the director of A One-Way Ticket (Un Pasaje de Ida), the Dominican Republic's first feature-length film, produced entirely in the Dominican Republic by a Dominican cast and crew. The film became known to American audiences after its 1988 debut in New York City at the Museum of Modern Art's New Directors/New Films Festival. A One-Way Ticket gained some notoriety because of its macabre subject matter; the story of would-be immigrants who die in their desperate struggle to escape a fate of poverty and despair. A One-Way Ticket, shot under very adverse conditions, proved to everyone that it could be done.
Life and career
Meléndez was born on August 8, 1942.[1] In 1979, Agliberto Meléndez founded the Cinemateca Nacional, quickly becoming the meeting place for like-minded film enthusiasts. He single-handedly led the Cinemateca Nacional through very hard times but managed to stay afloat until it was finally forced to close its doors in 1986 following the election of right-wing candidate Joaquín Balaguer. The Cinemateca Nacional introduced classics from the world cinema to a fresh and enthusiastic new audience.
His perseverance and single-minded vision made Agliberto Meléndez the undisputed film pioneer of Dominican Cinema. Until his death, he taught cinema studies in the Dominican Republic and was preparing his next feature: "Del Color de la Noche" based on the life of José Francisco Peña Gómez which he began preproduction in 2025.
On July 2, 2025, Meléndez died at the age of 82.[2]
References
- ^ "BIOGRAFÍA DE LA SEMANA: Agliberto Meléndez Jiménez". cinemadominicano.com. Retrieved 2 July 2025.
- ^ Roa Ogando, Gerardo A. (2020-03-19). "Elementos del mito sacralizado en el largometraje Andrea (2005) del cineasta dominicano Rogert Bencosme". Ciencia y Sociedad. 45 (1): 63–72. doi:10.22206/cys.2020.v45i1.pp63-72. ISSN 2613-8751.
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